Fan favorite fighter Chris Mutinho has earned a second shot in the UFC.
Following two short fights in the 2021-2022 promotions, including a memorable scrap with Sean O’Malley, the now 32-year-old bantamweight will compete in UFC Atlanta on June 14th to face local favourite Malcolm Wellmaker.
Several people with knowledge about the promotional plan confirmed the news on the MMA fight on Wednesday following initial reports from msianic.
His UFC run ended with a 0-2 record, but Moutinho still made a considerable impression with his durability and his never-to-savoured attitude in the cage. He went to war with O’Malley in 2021, but ultimately led to a 3-round late suspension loss before falling to Guido Cannetti before the UFC release.
In the aftermath of these losses, Mootinho bouncing off five consecutive wins in regional fighting scenes as none of these matches were made to be decided.
He is welcomed by the UFC, facing one of the promising stars after Wellmaker made a fair splash with a catastrophic knockout to win his contract in the Contender series.
Undefeated through nine professional battles, Wellmaker made a chin-drop finish with the Octagon debut, destroying Cameron Thurman within two minutes he met in April. Since Wellmaker is from Georgia, he sought an opportunity to compete in UFC Atlanta, but his wishes didn’t seem fulfilled.
This has all changed with Wellmaker vs. Moutinho being added late to UFC Atlanta.
Mike Heck contributed to this report.