Fighter that went to war with Sean O’Malley returns to UFC after 3 years away

A fan favorite known for his all-action fighting style will officially return to the Octagon next week at UFC Atlanta.

We’re now just a couple days away from a UFC 316 card in Newark, NJ that’s headlined by a highly-anticipated rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley, and the world’s leading MMA promotion will stay on the road next weekend when it returns to Atlanta, GA for a UFC Fight Night at State Farm Arena.

Former UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman and top contender Joaquin Buckley will headline UFC Atlanta, and just over a week out from the event the card has added a bantamweight bout featuring an undefeated prospect and a returning veteran.

Leon Edwards (red gloves) fights Kamaru Usman (blue gloves) during UFC 286 at O2 Arena. | Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

Kris Moutinho Returns At UFC Atlanta

First reported by Nolan King, Kris Moutinho will return to the UFC for the first time since 2022 to face Malcolm Wellmaker next weekend at UFC Atlanta.

A veteran of New England regional promotion CES, Moutinho made his UFC debut against future bantamweight titleholder O’Malley at UFC 264 and was stopped with strikes with less than 30 seconds remaining in the fight.

Kris Mountinho lands a knee hit against Sean O Malley during UFC 264 at T-Mobile Arena. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

O’Malley and Moutinho did take home post-fight bonuses for throwing down in the “Fight of the Night” at UFC 264, but unfortunately for the 32-year-old another stoppage'loss to Guido Cannetti in his sophomore Octagon outing brought his UFC career to a premature end.

Malcolm Wellmaker Ready To Spoil Moutinho's UFC Return

Moutinho has rebounded impressively following his UFC exit with five-straight wins via stoppage, and now he’ll try to hand Wellmaker the first loss of his pro career when the pair meet in Atlanta.

Following a 9-1 amateur career, Wellmaker made his pro debut in 2022 and went 7-0 with five finishes to earn an opportunity on Dana White’s Contender Series last year.

Malcolm Wellmaker (red gloves) reacts after defeating Cameron Saaiman (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night. — Malcolm Wellmaker (red gloves) reacts after defeating Cameron Saaiman (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at T-Mobile Center. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

A first-round knockout against Adam Bramhald secured a UFC contract for “The Machine”, and the 31-year-old earned a “Performance of the Night” bonus in his UFC debut in April when he also knocked out Cameron Saaiman in just under two minutes.

The addition of Wellmaker vs. Moutinho is the second late change that UFC Atlanta has gotten this week, and just over a week out from the event the card currently looks like this:

• Main Event: Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley

• Co-Main Event: Rose Namajunas vs. Miranda Maverick

• Alonzo Menifield vs. Oumar Sy

• Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Andre Petroski

• Cody Brundage vs. Mansur Abdul-Malik

• Cody Garbrandt vs. Raoni Barcelos

• Cody Durden vs. Jose Ochoa

• Michael Chiesa vs. Court McGee

• Ricky simon vs. Charles Jourdain

• Paul Craig vs. Rodolfo Bellato

• Phil Rowe vs. Ange Loosa

• Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth

• Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Kris Moutinho

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