Originally, Micallef was slated to face Oban Elliott in September when the UFC ventured to Perth. Even that was a longer wait than he envisioned coming out of his debut win, but the Melbourne man was thrilled to share the Octagon with “The Welsh Gangster,” who had posted three wins in his own rookie year and was hustling back into action after suffering his first UFC setback in June. But Elliott landed in country feeling ill and got progressively worse, with the UFC medical team determining that he had pneumonia and was in no shape to fight, scuttling the highly anticipated welterweight clash.
“I go through everything in my head before the fight — ‘What if he hits me with this? What if these things happen?’ — but that was not in there. That was not a part of my thought process,” admitted Micallef, recalling his emotions and reactions to the fight cancellation. “It was really hard to switch without having a fight. As an athlete, when you fight, it’s like a release in pressure because you’re building up, training, dieting — I’m a big welterweight, so I have to do a lot to make the weight — and then I also had a little more time off than I would have liked to.
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“But as much as all those things affected me, I think I’m better for it. I’ve got another rep in making weight, doing a camp, preparing for Oban and doing the whole UFC thing.”
While it was a brand-new experience for Micallef at the UFC level, he was fortunate to have someone that had dealt with similar circumstances to lean on for counsel.
