‘Defending my spot' – Oban Elliott driven by fear of return to life before Dana White issued UFC deal ahead of Baku bout

The Welshman has gone a perfect 3-0 inside the octagon
GANGSTER'S PARADISE 'Defending my spot' – Oban Elliott driven by fear of return to life before Dana White issued UFC deal ahead of Baku bout
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
OBAN ELLIOT may have established himself as a mainstay in the UFC, but the Welsh welterweight is refusing to rest on his laurels.
2024 was a year to remember for the pride of Wales, who fulfilled his lifelong dream of competing in the promised land of mixed martial arts.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
8
Life has been plain sailing for Welshman Oban Elliott since he won a UFC contract on the Contenders Series
Credit: GETTY
8
The 27-year-old made his octagon bow last February and has been on a tear
Credit: GETTY
8
The Welshman went a perfect 3-0 in the space of nine busy months
Credit: GETTY
8
But he's refusing to rest on his laurels as he fears returning to the life he lived before making it to the big show
Credit: GETTY
And he entered the promotion with a bang, going a perfect 3-0 in just under nine life-changing months.
Elliott, who is poised to make an assault on the top 15 this year, has come a long way from working night shift on the railways in Merthyr Tydfil and cleaning the grill at Nando's to pay the bills and supplement his training.
His feet may be firmly in the UFC door, but the fear of one day having to return to the life he worked so hard to escape is as much his driving force as winning a world title.
In an exclusive interview with SunSport, 'The Welsh Gangster' said: "I'm just so glad it worked out, man. I'm so glad.
"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, thank f***ing God. It just meant that much to me."
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS
8
Oban Elliott scored the biggest win of his career against Bassil Hafez at UFC 309 last November
Credit: GETTY
8
The stunning stoppage at MSG is one of the proudest moments of Elliott's life to date
Credit: GETTY
The memory of working on the railways and at Nando's is still fresh for Elliott, who believes he already has a belt adorned on him as a result of all the blood, sweat and tears he's shed trying to achieve his dream.
"To be settled in and to be living this life now, it's a new challenge in itself," Elliott candidly admitted. "Because now I just think about defending it."
Brit UFC star Oban Elliot explains how working nightshift on railway tracks fortified his mindset
He continued: "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 highlight of Elliott's UFC career came at Madison Square Garden last November in the form of a beautifully set-up third-round knockout of Bassil Hafez.
And that moment, which earned the 27-year-old a life-changing $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, will likely only be topped when he becomes the undisputed king of the welterweights.
"To get that knockout was just the best moment ever," Elliot said. "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.
it's just a case of defending this spot and defending this life that I now live."
Oban Elliot
"And I look up. The cry 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 latest outing will take place this evening in a land far, far away from Merthyr Tydfil - Baku.
Fellow Dana White's Contenders Series contract winner Seok-hyeon Ko stands between Elliott and a four-fight win streak.
And if he notches it in similarly spectacular fashion as he did his last victory, it will put him on the precipice of tangling with the elite of the talent-rich 170lbs division.
"This guy is a tough, tough man," Elliot said of the South Korean. " And he's coming to win.
8
Oban Elliott returns to the octagon on Saturday night for a showdown with South Korea's Seok-Hyeon Ko
Credit: Getty
8
A win in the Baku bust-up will see Elliott move to a perfect 4-0 inside the octagon
Credit: GETTY
"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 their cage healthy, and the better man will win.
"I think the better guy is me, so we'll see if I'm wrong."
He added: "After this fight, [I want to get] two more [fights in] hopefully 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."
Catch Oban Elliott this weekend at UFC® FIGHT NIGHT: HILL vs. ROUNTREE JR on TNT Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Daily Mail​

an hour ago

• Daily Mail​

Jamahal Hill is a BOOSTED 9/4 to defeat Khalil Rountree Jr. by TKO/KO Saturday - as Azerbaijan plays host to a UFC Fight Night card

After a resounding defeat at the hands of Jiri Prochazka last time out - former world champion Jamahal Hill will look to return to the winner's circle against Khalil Rountree Jr. in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card in Baku, Azerbaijan Saturday. He isn't tipped to do so however - with Hill the most marginal of outsiders at 10/11 according to Sky Bet. Meanwhile, Rountree Jr. is an odds-on favourite at 5/6 to secure his 14th career victory. In terms of the method of victory - Rountree Jr. is 11/8 to win by TKO/KO, 15/2 to win by decision, and a wider 16/1 to be victorious by submission. Rountree Jr. has claimed nine wins by TKO/KO and four by decision throughout his career to date. Conversely, Hill is a BOOSTED 9/4 to win by TKO/KO, 4/1 to get the nod on the judges' scorecards, and 18/1 to submit his opponent. Hill has seven wins by knockout and five victories by decision. Sky Bet odds for Jamahal Hill vs Khalil Rountree Jr.: Khalil Rountree Jr. 5/6 Jamahal Hill 10/11 Khalil Rountree Jr. to win by TKO/KO 9/4 Jamahal Hill to win by TKO/KO WAS 2/1 NOW 15/8 Khalil Rountree Jr. to win by Decision 15/2 Jamahal Hill to win by Decision 4/1 Khalil Rountree Jr. to win by Submission 16/1 Jamahal Hill to win by Submission 18/1

Scottish Sun

an hour ago

• Scottish Sun

Love Island fans ‘work out' why Tommy kisses Shakira and Emily in dramatic spin the bottle game

Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LOVE Island fans reckon they have Tommy Bradley's game plan sussed after he is seen snogging Shakira Khan and newbie Emily Moran. Viewers of the ITV2 series were left open-mouthed when the Londoner, 22 - who has been strong with partner Megan Forte Clarke, 24, since day one - locked lips with the duo in a new show challenge. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 6 Love Island fans reckon they have Tommy Bradley's game plan sussed Credit: Eroteme 6 It comes after a teaser for Sunday's episode saw him locking lips with Emily Moran Credit: Eroteme 6 Megan Forte Clarke, who has been coupled up with Tommy from day one, was shocked at the antics which will air fully this weekend Credit: Eroteme In the teaser clip's edit which previewed Sunday's episode, it seemed as though the Islanders were asked to snog who they'd most like to be coupled up with. Yet everything kicked off and heated up between the singles as a result. Playing the iconic game of Spin the Bottle, the Islanders could be seen donning their bikinis and Speedos as they took turns in spinning the giant bottle. In the brief clip, it was clear that Tommy snogged Welsh beauty Emily as Irish beauty Megan looked on in horror. Tommy is coupled with Megan, but now it looks like there might be tension between the two. He then sensationally smooched Shakira as well. The full extent of the drama will play out on Sunday's episode, yet fans have already suspected they know the catty reason Tommy picked the duo to snog. They claim he chose Emily as her show partner Conor pulled Megan for a chat. One fan took to Reddit to quiz: "Is that Emily kissing Tommy?" Another replied: "Low key ridiculous to do it just bc Conor pulled Megan for a chat." Love Island CARNAGE as boys go head-to-head after secret snog plan backfires Another mused: "I think he [Tommy] may have chosen Emily, because Conor pulled Megan for a chat. Could be the reverse of course. "But I wonder if Harry chose Shakira and Shakira picked Tommy. Then again, would Harry play it safe with his choice and choose Yasmin. "What a tangled web. Is it Sunday yet?" COUPLE GOALS Previously, Love Island fans were convinced Megan and Tommy were the only couple in the villa who are attracted to each other. In a fresh twist for 2025's opening episode, the girls picked their partners based on blind dating profiles, with no idea what the boys looked like. Rushing to comment on the potential new romances at the time, viewers insisted that Megan and Tommy are the only couple who are actually into each other. One said: 'I think only Megan and Tommy may actually make sense.' Someone else commented: 'The only couple vibing are Tommy and Megan.' Ahead of his villa debut north London lad Tommy revealed the awkward chat he had with his mum about having sex on the show. He told The Sun and other press: 'I don't really know if I'll have sex in the villa. 'My mum has actually brought it up to me. She was like, 'Oh my God, have you thought about it - like, if you do have sex with someone in the villa I'm going to be watching.' 'She said, 'I don't know if I can watch.' So I don't really know." 6 Tommy was also seen locking lips with Shakira Credit: Eroteme 6 Fans previously hailed the duo the strongest couple in the villa Credit: Eroteme

Wales Online

2 hours ago

• Wales Online

Heartbroken Welsh star issues emotional message as video shows moment it all went wrong

Heartbroken Welsh star issues emotional message as video shows moment it all went wrong The eight-cap international's impressive season ended with a crushing disappointment The moment Davies dislocated his shoulder against Perpignan (Image: Instagram: @samdavey1993 ) Welsh fly-half Sam Davies has issued an emotional statement to Grenoble supporters after his team suffered double Top 14 promotion heartbreak for the third year in a row. The 31-year-old had another impressive campaign in the Pro D2 as he pulled the strings for his side, helping them to finish top of the league table in the regular season. Having made it through to the play-off final to face underdogs Montauban, it looked as though Grenoble were finally going to jump up to the top flight, but it soon began to go wrong for Davies' side. ‌ A shock defeat to Montauban meant that Grenoble's last chance to win promotion came in the Top 14 Access Match play-off final, where they faced Perpignan, who had finished second from bottom in the top flight this season. ‌ However, after missing out in the Access Match for the last two years, it wasn't to be yet again for Grenoble, as they fell to a narrow 13-11 defeat to consign them to another season in the second tier. That match saw the talismanic Davies leave the field with a shoulder injury minutes into the contest, only to return to the action later on as he tried but ultimately failed to rally his side and lead them to victory. Having initially said that he had "no words" to convey his heartbreak in the wake of the defeat, the eight-cap Wales international has now taken to social media to issue a full statement to supporters. Article continues below He has also confirmed that he dislocated his shoulder moments into the Perpignan match, sharing a video of the incident on Instagram. "The pain never stops, but the motivation grows," he wrote. "Thank you to our wonderful supporters. I assure you, we will be back stronger. "After dislocating my shoulder four minutes into the final, here's to a challenge that raises many questions. It was difficult to play through the pain, but I would do it again and again for this team." ‌ Content cannot be displayed without consent It comes after former Ospreys and Dragons star Davies admitted he had "found the spark again" since leaving Wales for France in the summer of 2023, with the fly-half now playing the best rugby of his career. 'I wouldn't go as far as to say that I have been reborn, but rather that I found the spark again,' he told RugbyPass.'I feel appreciated and respected. Article continues below "I think I've been playing some of my best rugby. I feel I have been unshackled. I am now allowed to make mistakes without someone immediately putting me back in my place. "Grenoble allowed me to follow my instincts, while in Wales every mistake I made was put under the magnifying glass," he added. "It was a complete change of pace. "The Grenoble staff try to value the positives more than the negatives. It pushes us to be better individuals and team players."