“I’ve felt like I was made for bigger things since I was a little kid,” said Elliott, who began training in his native Wales since the age of five. “And I think that’s what led to a lot of my frustrations as a kid, because I was a crazy kid. I wasn’t happy being at school. I wasn’t happy fighting as an amateur. I wasn’t happy fighting as an early-level professional because I just thought I was destined to be a UFC fighter and I just wanted to skip that whole start of it because I just couldn’t wait to be there. It’s crazy you asked me this because when I got to the UFC, that’s when I kind of relaxed. You say that it feels like I’ve been there for 10 years, and it’s because I’ve spent 20 years preparing myself for what I felt was the inevitable.”
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I don’t know if “relaxed” is the word I would use to describe Elliott’s run in the UFC thus far, but there is an apparent ease to what he does in and out of the Octagon. From his performances on fight night to his post-fight time on the mic and his dealings with the media, it’s as if he’s trained his whole life for this moment. He’s genuine, isn’t trying to hard to make waves, and when it’s time to fight, he fights. That combination is rare, and he admits to have been chasing this forever. So it’s interesting that the young man with such tunnel vision has his bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of West England.
A backup plan, Mr. Elliott? Not quite, but it was a chance to get a student loan, relocate to an area where he could train in an MMA gym, and get his degree in the process. But the main thing, as always, was the fighting.
