The bantamweight fighter made his UFC debut at UFC Kansas City after earning a contract through Dana White’s Contender Series. Wellmaker put on an impressive performance, scoring a huge win over Cameron Saaiman with a deadly KO.
His performance earned him a $50K bonus, which spurred him to quit his job and go into MMA full-time.
“So many people bought into my story, so here’s an update: I just quit my job!” Wellmaker said on Instagram. “Saturday night I made my UFC debut, scored a first-round knockout, and earned a $50K performance bonus. Today I became a full-time fighter.
“In 2015, I joined the pipefitters union in Augusta, Local 150, as an apprentice. Since then, I’ve worked full-time in the trade while chasing my dream. All my career I swore that if I made it to the UFC and earned a $50K bonus, I would quit my job—and today it finally happened.”
“I will always be grateful to the trade,” Wellmaker said. “It helped me mature from a boy to a man, it brought lifelong friends into my life, and I learned a skillset I can always fall back on, no matter what happens.
“My goal now is to take full advantage of my time in the UFC by completely committing to fighting, and if everything goes my way, I’ll never have to pick up my welding hood again. But if I do, it won’t break my heart because I love the trade and I’m blessed to have done it.”
“Thank you to everyone I met along the way and all the people who love and support my journey! One more time for Dirty Hands, Clean Money!”
Following his win this past weekend, Wellmaker requested a spot on the upcoming UFC Atlanta card in June, which is just a few hours away from his home in Augusta, Ga. UFC CEO Dana White sounded interested in making it happen for him.
