Malcolm
Wellmaker appears to have all the makings of a future star.
The Augusta, Georgia, native took home a $50,000 “Performance of
the Night” bonus thanks to a first-round knockout of Kris
Moutinho in a preliminary bantamweight clash at UFC
Atlanta on Saturday night. A right hook from Wellmaker caused
his opponent to face plant into the canvas, bringing an abrupt end
to the contest at the 2:37 mark of Round 1.
Elsewhere, Kamaru
Usman and Joaquin
Buckley earned “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece
for their five-round battle in the evening’s main event. While
Usman took control early with his wrestling, Buckley made things
interesting with a spirited effort down the stretch. Ultimately, it
wasn’t enough, as “The Nigerian Nightmare” emerged with a unanimous
decision triumph.
Finally, Peru’s Jose Ochoa
captured the evening’s other “$50,000 “Performance of the Night”
award for putting away crowd favorite Cody Durden
in a preliminary flyweight tilt. Ochoa rocked his foe with an
uppercut and then dropped Durden with a left hand. A couple
follow-up punches on the canvas sealed the victory just 11 seconds
into Round 2.