Juan Diaz made a statement in his promotional debut, submitting Malcolm Wellmaker by rear-naked choke at UFC Fight Night 276 at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
Diaz finished the bantamweight bout at 4:08 of Round 2, improving his record to 16-1-1 MMA and 1-0 in the UFC. Wellmaker dropped to 10-2 MMA and 2-2 in the promotion with the loss.
After the victory, Diaz said, "Emotional are high, I trained so hard," before emphasizing the depth of his skill set. "I'm a complete fighter. I can wrestle, I'm not just a striker. I'm a complete fighter and very dangerous."
Diaz had former UFC champion Brandon Moreno in his corner for the bout and was described as a prospect to watch following the win. Wellmaker, who had his strong start in the octagon halted by a loss to Ethyn Ewing in November, now faces back-to-back setbacks.
