Not Again! Watch Wellmaker Drop Brutal Loss To Another UFC Newcomer
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MAY 16: (R-L) Juan Diaz of Peru secures a submission against Malcolm Wellmaker in a bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Meta APEX on May 16, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC) Malcolm Wellmaker took another hit to his UFC stock earlier tonight (Sat. , May 16, 2026) at UFC Vegas 117 LIVE on Paramount+ from inside Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the promising bantamweight prospect suffered his second-straight loss to an Octagon newcomer.
Wellmaker, who made a name for himself with a huge performance on Dana White’s Contender Series and early UFC success, tasted his first career loss his last time out against Ethyn Ewing at UFC 322 in Nov. 2025. Ewing looks like a future top 15 fighter, but Wellmaker still needed to prove he’s capable of rebounding.
Unfortunately for the former pipe fitter, things didn’t go as planned. Juan Diaz, who was making his debut after his own memorable outing on the Contender Series , was as game as they come from the opening bell. He matched everything Wellmaker had to offer and showed a solid gas tank despite fighting under the bright lights of the Octagon for the first time.
Diaz was able to utilize his grappling later in the fight and took Wellmaker’s back with around a minute left in the second. From there, Diaz was able to sink in a tight rear-naked choke and forced Wellmaker to tap for the first time in his career. Check out the video highlights below: JUAN DIAZ GETS THE TAP IN HIS UFC DEBUT 📺 @paramountplus pic.
twitter. com/PlUrC6VrJV — UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) May 17, 2026 For complete UFC Vegas 117 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE .