Malcolm Wellmaker quits his job after winning $50,000 bonus in UFC debut: ‘Today I become a full-time fighter’

Malcolm Wellmaker finally considers himself a full-time fighter.

Following a stunning knockout win over Cameron Saaiman this past Saturday at UFC Kansas City, the Contender Series veteran revealed plans to quit his job as a pipefitter if he was rewarded with a post-fight bonus. After he actually received $50,000 for a Performance of the Night award, Wellmaker revealed on Monday that he officially gave notice to his job that he’s leaving to put all of his attention on fighting.

“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.”

Wellmaker had previously told MMA Fighting that he was working full-time in his job as a pipefitter while chasing his dream to become a UFC fighter.

Even after his win on The Contender Series that earned him a UFC contract, the bantamweight prospect still didn’t have the means to leave his job so he was still working crazy hours while preparing for his octagon debut.

“I got that knockout and I was feeling like my life was going to change overnight and I was going to be driving a Bentley,” Wellmaker told MMA Fighting. “I’m still grinding. Still in the same position for the most part, other than being a signed UFC athlete but it keeps you humble, it keeps you hungry and it keeps you working hard. Hopefully after this one, I get to make the change for more success.”

Now that he earned that extra $50,000, Wellmaker wasted no time informing his employers that he was leaving his job and putting all his focus on fighting.

“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.”

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. and UFC CEO Dana White sounded like he was interested in making it happen for him.

For now, Wellmaker can enjoy a little more freedom as a full-time fighter while celebrating his first official win in the UFC.