Outside Source
The 39-year-old Wells returned to action days after his 39th birthday to face Themba Gorimbo. The Philadelphia native came back after an absence of more than 20 months, thanks to a few injuries, to compete at UFC Fight Night 263 on Saturday. After being controlled by Gorimbo in the first round, Wells rallied back to earn a unanimous decision victory at the UFC Apex.
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This was the first appearance in the Octagon for Wells (13-4), with a previously booked pairing with Andreas Gustafsson falling through a week and a half before the event due to a Wells injury. The Renzo Gracie Philly product also was linked to a bout with Niko Price at UFC 302 the year before, and once more fell off the fight card due to an injury. The victorious fighter stated that he wants to stay busy in 2026 to make up for the lost time.
Wells has set a lofty goal of fighting at least five times next year, which would blaze past his personal record of three appearances in a calendar year. The welterweight, who has plenty of options in mind should he maintain such a busy schedule, named a trio of opponents: Michael Chiesa, Jake Matthews and Mike Malott.
I Am an American
During the post-fight press conference following UFC Vegas 110, Wells made his plans clear.
“I want to fight at least five times next year,” the fighter said directly. “I gotta make up for all the [missed time] while I was gone. I want, like I said, I’ll fight Michael Chiesa. I’ll fight the guy from Australia…Jake Matthews. Give me Mike Malott. Give me those guys. Maybe in the White House, we can fight a Canada dude or Australian dude. Yeah, put me over there. I’ll put a good-ass fight on for America, because I am an American and I love my country. Go Birds.”
Wells strung together wins in his first four UFC outings, racking up three finishes to put himself on the welterweight radar. A pair of losses Carlston Harris and Max Griffin—the former by technical submission—tamped down his momentum, as did his long layoffs. His victory over Gorimbo marked his first triumph since April 2023.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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