Oban Elliott has firmly established himself in the UFC, but the Welsh welterweight is not content to rest on his achievements.
For the pride of Wales, 2024 was an unforgettable year, marking the realization of his lifelong ambition to compete in the elite world of mixed martial arts.
He made an explosive entry into the promotion, achieving a perfect 3-0 record in just under nine transformative months.
Elliott, who aims to break into the top 15 of the welterweight division this year, has come a significant distance from working night shifts on the railways in Merthyr Tydfil and cleaning grills at Nando`s to cover his expenses and support his training.
Although he is now securely in the UFC, the prospect of one day having to return to the life he worked so relentlessly to escape remains a powerful motivator, just as much as the goal of winning a world title.
In an exclusive interview, `The Welsh Gangster` shared his profound relief: “I`m just so glad it worked out, man. I`m so glad.”
He continued, “And just for me, it just meant that much more, you know? To get here and do it. I didn`t care for anything else, I didn`t. There was nothing else that interested me in life. And that`s probably dark when you look like that, but it worked out.”
“When I got that UFC contract is when I relaxed and when I could smile without something in the back of my head saying, `Yeah, but you`re not there yet.`”
“And now I`m like, `No, I`m here. I`m home. And just the fact that it all worked out, thankfully. It just meant that much to me.”
Elliott candidly admitted, “To be settled in and to be living this life now, it`s a new challenge in itself. Because now I just think about defending it.”
He elaborated: “I`m just thinking about defending my spot. There`s a belt over my shoulder and I`m defending my belt every fight.”
“Every training session, I`m defending my belt and that is it.”
“And maybe somewhere along the line, Dana is gonna wrap another one around me. But I will always have my one.”
“That`s the way I see all of this. So it`s just a case of defending this spot and defending this life that I now live.”
The defining moment of Elliott`s UFC tenure to date occurred last November at Madison Square Garden, where he secured a spectacular third-round knockout of Bassil Hafez with a perfectly executed setup.
This significant victory, which earned the 27-year-old a valuable $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, is a highlight he anticipates surpassing only when he ultimately claims the undisputed welterweight championship.
Recalling the knockout, Elliot said: “To get that knockout was just the best moment ever. For me, everything that I wanted in life happened in that third round.”
“That little fake with my feet going outside of his right leg, throwing the shot and there he was, right in the middle of the Monster can.”
“And I look up. The crowd was going nuts, the pose. `Who`s the man in New York City, brother?`”
“How lucky am I? That`s how I feel. That is just unreal. Like, look at that. Jesus Christ, that happened to me.”
“I`ve heard people say, `You work hard for this?` People work hard for things and they fall short of their dreams and it happens to people.”
“But in that moment, in the cage that night, all my hard work paid off. And I got that for the rest of my life. So I`m the proudest guy ever.”
Elliott`s upcoming fight is set for this evening in Baku, a location vastly different from Merthyr Tydfil.
Standing in the way of Elliott and a potential four-fight win streak is Seok-hyeon Ko, another fighter who also earned his UFC contract through Dana White`s Contenders Series.
Should he secure the win in similarly impressive fashion to his previous victory, it would position him right on the cusp of challenging the elite competitors within the stacked 170lbs division.
Commenting on his South Korean opponent, Elliot stated: “This guy is a tough, tough man. And he`s coming to win.”
“And he is going to come to fight. Take the UFC out and take the nonsense out of all of it, this is a man versus a man who are going to fight to the death in the cage.”
“He has all my respect, all my attention and it`s going to be a tough fight for both of us.”
“May we get out of there healthy, and the better man will win.”
“I think the better guy is me, so we`ll see if I`m wrong.”
He concluded: “After this fight, hopefully two more [fights] and keep my imaginary belt over my shoulder.”
“The belt that I had before I even put the gloves on – in my mind.”
“In my mind, I`ve been a champion long before any of this came to light in my life.”
“So I`m just going to keep defending my spot, keep making my family proud and keep doing my best. And if I`m doing that, I`m winning.”
You can watch Oban Elliott compete this weekend at UFC FIGHT NIGHT: HILL vs. ROUNTREE JR on TNT Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.
