No man is flying greater than Oban Elliott is correct now.
This previous Saturday, Elliott made his UFC debut, taking a unanimous choice win over Val Woodburn at UFC 298. It was the achievement 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 residing the dream. I actually am residing the dream,” Elliott mentioned on The MMA Hour.
“I is perhaps the happiest man on the earth 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 beneath the lights like that, in an enormous area like that, and I turned extra comfy because the struggle 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 stable 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 large stage, would I’ve froze? No. I stood robust. I couldn’t be extra happy 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 performed, go and do the media,” Elliott mentioned. “Go and get the media performed, then I’m doing my footage, and as I’m doing my footage, 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 at all times wished to ask one among you guys this, and also you being the very best on the earth.’ And he mentioned, ‘The day I didn’t really feel the nerves is the day I give up 10 years in the past.’ So I can take that with me the remainder of my profession now. Irrespective of how a lot I’m s****** myself in that altering room, the very best on the earth 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 staff ready for me, they shuttle me off, put me by means of the raise, I am going up by means 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 really talked a method immediately, ‘ once you had him within the mounted triangle, you seize his head immediately.’
“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 occasions, hugged him about 50 occasions, instructed him I beloved him about 10 occasions, 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 largest 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 total UFC expertise, Elliott remains to be buzzing a couple of days after UFC 298.
“We’re simply speaking and he mentioned, ‘It’s not a shock. I’ve been following you for thus lengthy.’ He at all times 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 fascinated 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 seems me within the eye and tells me, ‘Your dad can be so happy 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 absolutely on his approach 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 may be actually good. A house present can be good, timing smart. I’ve acquired to let me physique heal. I had a couple of bumps and bruises going into this struggle. I’ve acquired make certain all the pieces is OK earlier than going into one other coaching camp. However undoubtedly in the summertime. Not too quickly, the place I’m speeding. Hopefully the Manchester card in July, if that’s true.”
And as for an opponent? Properly, Elliott had too massive of a weekend to be too involved about that.
“Truthfully, and this can be a crucial a part of an interview, you’ve acquired to arrange the subsequent struggle,” Elliott mentioned when requested about an opponent. “However I can’t consider a single particular person that’s even price fascinated 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.”
