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No man is flying increased than Oban Elliott is true now.
This previous Saturday, Elliott made his UFC debut, taking a unanimous resolution win over Val Woodburn at UFC 298. It was the success of a childhood dream and a promise made to his late father, and as such, Elliott is on cloud 9 in the intervening time.
“I’m dwelling the dream. I actually am dwelling the dream,” Elliott mentioned on The MMA Hour.
“I is perhaps the happiest man on the planet proper now. Truthfully. If I might have completed him within the first spherical, wonderful — might need gotten 50 grand as properly — however I believe that is going to pay much more than $50,000 in dividends going ahead. Three rounds underneath the lights like that, in a giant area like that, and I grew to become extra snug because the battle went on. I’m not simply coming to the UFC for just a little little bit of hype, I’m going to the highest, in my head. In order that’s three rounds of strong expertise banked. It couldn’t have gone any higher. Getting dropped and overcoming that — I knew I had that in me anyway, however on the massive stage, would I’ve froze? No. I stood sturdy. I couldn’t be extra pleased with myself.”
Scoring his first UFC win was solely the start of Elliott’s evening. After doing the required post-fight media and medicals, Elliott was in for a shock as had the possibility to fulfill CM Punk, who was in attendance. A lifelong wrestling fan, Elliott jumped on the alternative.
“Get the medical finished, go and do the media,” Elliott mentioned. “Go and get the media finished, then I’m doing my photos, and as I’m doing my photos, Megan Olivi runs up … ‘Oban, do you need to meet CM Punk?’ F****** proper I need to meet CM Punk! … We return all the way down to the factor, I meet CM Punk. … We had been simply speaking, bouncing concepts off one another. I’d like to inform you precisely what we had been speaking about nevertheless it was so surreal. We had been simply speaking about how I watched him earlier than. I used to be fanboying!
“I requested him concerning the nerves. ‘As wrestlers, do you get nervous? As a result of I’ve all the time wished to ask certainly one of you guys this, and also you being one of the best on the planet.’ And he mentioned, ‘The day I didn’t really feel the nerves is the day I stop 10 years in the past.’ So I can take that with me the remainder of my profession now. Regardless of how a lot I’m s****** myself in that altering room, one of the best on the planet in his craft will get butterflies. They usually day they weren’t there for him, he walked away.”
And Elliott’s evening nonetheless was not over, as a result of after CM Punk, Elliott acquired to lastly meet his childhood hero, Chael Sonnen.
“I rapidly dress, boom-boom-boom, get down, again within the automobile, straight to the factor,” Elliott mentioned. “There’s a group ready for me, they shuttle me off, put me by way of the carry, I am going up by way of the backstage, strolling alongside the stage, I’m pondering ‘The place is he?’ ESPN set, there he’s! We come, embrace, and he thanks me for giving him a shoutout within the cage. ‘In fact!’ He thanks me for that. He truly talked a method right away, ‘You already know while you had him within the mounted triangle, you seize his head right away.’
“Simply an unbelievable second. After which he tells me, ‘That is only the start and we’re going to maintain this going. Gangsters Inc.’ Hugged him, shook his hand about 50 instances, hugged him about 50 instances, advised him I liked him about 10 instances, and each time he mentioned, ‘I like you too!’ The most effective.”
Elliott has been open about Sonnen’s affect on his profession, saying that Sonnen was his greatest idol rising up and part of the reason he became a fan of and pursued MMA. So on condition that he lastly acquired to fulfill Sonnen, and CM Punk, and have the complete UFC expertise, Elliott continues to be buzzing just a few days after UFC 298.
“We’re simply speaking and he mentioned, ‘It’s not a shock. I’ve been following you for therefore lengthy.’ He all the time stored his distance, was following from afar and would ship me the odd message, however didn’t make a friendship of it,” Elliott mentioned. “That is simply the maddest factor to soak up. And I’m nonetheless excited about assembly CM Punk whereas I’m speaking to him. And earlier within the week, [Michael] Bisping! Come on! Bisping!
“On the fighter assembly with Bisping and he appears me within the eye and tells me, ‘Your dad can be so pleased with you.’ I burst into tears. Coming from him. I’m pondering to myself, what did I do to deserve this? How has this labored out so properly?”
Now 10-2 in his skilled profession and a former Cage Warriors newbie champion, the 26-year-old Elliott is totally on his manner in UFC, and for his subsequent act, “The Welsh Gangster” hopes to maneuver to 2-0 within the promotion with a win just a little nearer to residence.
“They’re saying they’ve acquired a Manchester card in July,” Elliott mentioned. “That will be actually good. A house present can be good, timing sensible. I’ve acquired to let me physique heal. I had just a few bumps and bruises going into this battle. I’ve acquired make sure that every part is OK earlier than going into one other coaching camp. However positively in the summertime. Not too quickly, the place I’m dashing. Hopefully the Manchester card in July, if that’s true.”
And as for an opponent? Nicely, Elliott had too large of a weekend to be too involved about that.
“Truthfully, and this can be a essential a part of an interview, you’ve acquired to arrange the following battle,” Elliott mentioned when requested about an opponent. “However I can’t consider a single individual that’s even price excited about on the minute, after week I’ve had. … I’m afraid I don’t have any identify in thoughts. For now, let’s simply take pleasure in this one.”
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