Malcolm Wellmaker’s UFC 322 foe defends star against ‘fraud check’ label after first-career loss

Ethyn Ewing defended rising UFC bantamweight Malcolm Wellmaker against harsh criticism following his UFC 322 loss.

UFC 322 featured plenty of high-octane action at Madison Square Garden earlier this month. Atop the card, UFC pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev earned a second world title by defeating Jack Della Maddalena to win the welterweight championship.

Earlier at UFC 322, Ethyn Ewing pulled off an hours notice victory over then-unbeaten Malcolm Wellmaker in a stunning result. Wellmaker entered UFC 322 on the cusp of a spot in the bantamweight Top 15 before dropping a decision to Ewing.

Ewing has become a household name since his historic victory, thanks in part to his blue-collar job, which supported his fighting aspirations. But since UFC 322, Wellmaker has come under intense criticism from some fans who believe he should be labeled a ‘fraud’ after suffering his first defeat.

Ethyn Ewing goes off on Malcolm Wellmaker haters following massive upset win

In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Ewing defended Wellmaker following UFC 322.

“I think it’s ridiculous to say he got fraud checked,” Ewing said of Wellmaker.

“He’s a talented individual, nothing but respect for him, he was very cordial and cool from the very beginning. So I appreciate him taking the fight and I appreciate everything about it. But it’s ridiculous, I mean, who is saying that? All the guys sitting on their couches tweeting and texting about it? Commenting? All these fans of the sport, they’re not martial artists.

“They don’t know what it’s like to step in, in a fight of that magnitude, with nothing but four-ounce gloves on,” Ewing continued. “What it means, the magnitude…I think it takes away from my performance to say that. Nobody knew who I was!”

Before UFC 322, Wellmaker earned recent knockout wins over Kris Moutinho and Cameron Saaiman. The Dana White’s Contender Series alum will look to get back on track in his next Octagon appearance in 2026.