{"id":335303,"date":"2026-05-15T19:42:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T14:12:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=335303"},"modified":"2026-05-15T19:42:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T14:12:48","slug":"malcolm-wellmaker-vs-juan-diaz-prediction-odds-pick-for-ufc-vegas-117","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/15\/malcolm-wellmaker-vs-juan-diaz-prediction-odds-pick-for-ufc-vegas-117\/","title":{"rendered":"Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Juan Diaz prediction, odds, pick for UFC Vegas 117"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Gambling just isn&#8217;t offered on this website in any form.<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-3802024\">\n<p>UFC Vegas 117: Arnold Allen vs. Melquizael Costa continues on the fundamental card with a fight between Malcolm Wellmaker and Juan Diaz within the bantamweight division on Saturday. Try our UFC odds series for our Wellmaker-Diaz prediction and pick.<\/p>\n<p>Malcolm Wellmaker (10-1) enters UFC Vegas 117 carrying a 10-1 record after a robust run within the Octagon. He scored back-to-back first-round KO\/TKO finishes over Cameron Saaiman in April 2025 and Kris Moutinho in June 2025, before suffering his first profession loss, a unanimous decision defeat to Ethyn Ewing at UFC 322 in November 2025. Now holding a UFC record of 2-1 and looking out to bounce back with an announcement performance, Wellmaker comes into his fight this weekend against Juan Diaz.<\/p>\n<p>Juan Diaz (15-1-1) arrives at his UFC debut riding a wave of momentum. He earned his UFC contract in essentially the most memorable way possible \u2014 landing the first-ever spinning back elbow KO in Dana White&#8217;s Contender Series history to stop Won Il Kwon in Round 2 in October 2025, following a unanimous decision win over Uriel Cossio in February 2025. Now moving into the most important stage of his profession for the primary time, the explosive finisher comes into his fight this weekend against Malcolm Wellmaker.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>UFC Vegas 117 Odds, courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/sportsbook.draftkings.com\/leagues\/mma\/ufc\" rel=\"nofollow\">DraftKings<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<h2><strong>UFC Vegas 117 Odds: Malcolm Wellmaker-Juan Diaz Odds<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Malcolm Wellmaker: -278<\/p>\n<p>Juan Diaz: +225<\/p>\n<p>Over 2.5 rounds: +124<\/p>\n<p>Under 2.5 rounds: -160<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why Malcolm Wellmaker <\/strong><strong>Will Win<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Malcolm Wellmaker enters this bantamweight matchup with a big experience edge, having already navigated the pressures of the UFC highlight across three Octagon appearances. Making your UFC debut against a fighter who has already proven he belongs at this level is an unlimited ask, and Diaz will feel that pressure from the opening bell.<\/p>\n<p>Wellmaker also holds a big striking output advantage, averaging the form of volume and pressure that wears down opponents who have not experienced that level of intensity before. Diaz&#8217;s 15-1-1 record was built largely outside the UFC, and the jump in competition level from the Contender Series to a full UFC card is substantial.<\/p>\n<p>The loss to Ethyn Ewing also proved that Wellmaker can take adversity on the chin, learn from it, and are available back with renewed focus and determination. A bounced-back, motivated Wellmaker with championship aspirations and proven UFC ending power is precisely the form of opponent that would expose a debuting fighter&#8217;s inexperience this Saturday night.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why Juan Diaz <\/strong><strong>Will Win<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Juan \u201cPegajoso\u201d Diaz arrives at UFC Vegas 117 with one of the crucial electric ending highlights on the whole card \u2014 a spinning back elbow KO that made history on the Contender Series and immediately announced him as a legitimate threat on the bantamweight level. That form of explosive, unconventional power doesn&#8217;t disappear when the stage gets larger; if anything, it becomes more dangerous.<\/p>\n<p>Debut fighters are sometimes at their most dangerous because they carry zero fear, unlimited confidence, and the burning desire to make a direct statement on the most important stage of their careers. Diaz is not just making his UFC debut \u2014 he&#8217;s arriving with the form of highlight-reel credibility that demands respect from the opening bell.<\/p>\n<p>Wellmaker&#8217;s aggressive, forward-pressing style could also walk him directly into Diaz&#8217;s countering game, where \u201cPegajoso\u201d is at his most lethal. A pointy counter right hand or one other spinning technique from the Peruvian sensation could put Wellmaker&#8217;s lights out and make for essentially the most shocking debut performance on the UFC Vegas 117 card this Saturday night.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Final Malcolm Wellmaker-Juan Diaz <\/strong><strong>Prediction &#038; Pick<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>This bantamweight matchup is one of the crucial intriguing bouts on the UFC Vegas 117 card \u2014 a proven UFC finisher seeking to bounce back against a history-making Contender Series prospect making his Octagon debut. The thrill level is thru the roof, and a finish feels inevitable given the ending pedigree each men bring to the table.<\/p>\n<p>Expect Wellmaker to come back out aggressive early, using his UFC experience and power to attempt to overwhelm a debuting fighter before he can settle into his rhythm. Diaz might want to survive the early storm, trust his unorthodox striking, and search for the form of explosive counter opportunity that made him famous on Contender Series.<\/p>\n<p>The debut jitters factor is real, and Wellmaker&#8217;s proven ability to complete fights quickly gives him the early-round advantage when nerves are at their peak. If \u201cThe Machine\u201d can land his power shots before Diaz fully settles in, this fight may very well be over before the second round begins. Ultimately, Wellmaker&#8217;s UFC experience and ending power prove to be the difference in an action-packed bantamweight brawl.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Final Malcolm Wellmaker-Juan Diaz <\/strong><strong>Prediction &#038; Pick: Malcolm Wellmaker (-278), Under 2.5 Rounds (-160)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>UFC Vegas 117: Arnold Allen vs.  Melquizael Costa continues on the fundamental card with a fight between Malcolm Wellmaker and Juan Diaz within the bantamweight division on Saturday.  Try our UFC odds series for our Wellmaker-Diaz prediction and pick.  Malcolm Wellmaker (10-1) enters UFC Vegas 117 carrying a 10-1 record after a robust run within the Octagon.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gambling just isn&#8217;t offered on this website in any form. UFC Vegas 117: Arnold Allen vs. Melquizael Costa continues on the fundamental card with a fight between Malcolm Wellmaker and Juan Diaz within the bantamweight division on Saturday. Try our UFC odds series for our Wellmaker-Diaz prediction and pick. Malcolm Wellmaker (10-1) enters UFC Vegas [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":335304,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21048],"tags":[1062,14250,31988,5711,5909,3595,3928,2070,31989],"class_list":["post-335303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mma","tag-diaz","tag-juan","tag-malcolm","tag-odds","tag-pick","tag-prediction","tag-ufc","tag-vegas","tag-wellmaker"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=335303"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":335306,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335303\/revisions\/335306"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/335304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=335303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=335303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=335303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}