The Welsh Gangster has had a 2024 to remember.

Oban Elliott, who hails from Merthyr Tydfil, has fought three times, and won three times, in 2024, catapulting himself into the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) limelight.

After ten professional fights in four years returned eight wins and two defeats, Elliott experienced a breakout moment in 2023, as he was offered a chance to step into the UFC cage for the first time in Dana White’s Contender Series.

Elliott defeated Brazilian fighter Kaik Brito by majority decision, winning a UFC contract from White in the process.

Speaking after earning his contract in 2023, Elliott said: “I genuinely can’t put it into words, I’m a kid who has turned a childhood dream into a reality.

“I wasn’t nervous, I think I needed a clip to get me going. The first round was pretty even; he was predictable but hit me hard and woke me up in the second.

“I’d love to be back before the end of the year, there’s a big UFC London card with Jon Jones.”

UFC Success

Elliott made it onto that big UFC London card – UFC 309 – in which he knocked out American Bassil Hafez to further cement his place at the very highest level of the sport.

On the undercard, Welsh welterweight Oban Elliott delivered the first highlight-reel moment of the night as he knocked out Hafez with a huge overhand right in the third round.

Later in the evening, Jon Jones cemented his status as one of the best mixed martial artists of all time as he stopped Stipe Miocic with a stunning kick to retain his heavyweight title.

“To get it done in Madison Square Garden, like I always dreamed of, my first finish [in the UFC] in MSG, that will live forever,” says Elliott.

“I know what I can do in the octagon and to go out and do it regardless of the stage, to go out and get it done in the UFC is big enough.”

At home on the biggest stage

It is a mark of how far Elliott has risen that he looked at home in Madison Square Garden, on the biggest stage in the sport.

His first amateur fight was in July 2016, with his professional debut coming in March 2019 after an impressive run with six knockouts and a submission victory in the amateur ranks.

He signed with Cage Warriors, winning his first three bouts at lightweight, before a taste of defeat and the discovery of a heart condition.

Elliott suffered heart arrhythmia, a condition which threatened his career, but with his ECG (electrocardiogram) readings improving as he moved to a more natural weight for his build – welterweight – he was signed off to fight again.

“When you look at the setbacks, especially with my illness and then all the clueless people who didn’t know the ins and outs of it writing me off too early,” Elliott says.

“I had another setback after that, and the way I bounced back from my defeats in the cage was similar to the way I bounced back from my setbacks in life.

“This is what I’ve been working towards my entire life, so I’m not going to crumble under pressure now, this is it. I get goosebumps talking about this, I was made for this, the bright lights.

“The noise on the outside has done its best to make me feel like I wasn’t meant to do this, but I’ve always known deep down and stuck with my beliefs that this is where I’m meant to be.”

Welsh Fighting Pedigree

Elliott trains at Shore Mixed Martial Arts in Abertillery, with Richard Shore and Carl Parker.

The gym has constant reminders of the journey he’s on as he looks to follow in the footsteps of Jack Marshman, Brett Johns and Jack Shore.

“They’re trailblazers. Without them, I wouldn’t be as confident as I am,” Elliott says.

“They’ve inspired me to realise I’m shoulder to shoulder with these boys, I’ve breathed the same air. Hopefully I inspire other people the same way when I’m signed.”

A First Finish

Having beaten Hafez in November, Elliott became the first Welshman to fight on three pay-per-view cards, winning all three, capping off an impressive debut year in the promotion.

After two decision wins against Preston Parsons and Val Woodburn – both unanimous decisions – Elliott earned his first finish.

It was a necessary one for the Welshman, with one of the judges having the score at that point of the fight in favour of Hafez by two rounds to zero.

“Don’t leave it in the hands of the judges,” he adds.

“I’ve done that a lot lately, so maybe it would have been karma if I’d done that again.”

“The sky is the limit; I’m going to keep getting better and better every fight. Every time you do the walk out, the weight cut, you improve as a man.”

In his post-fight press conference Elliott paid tribute to the legends who had fought in the same arena.

“I’m big on history, I think the greatest human being to ever walk the Earth was Muhammad Ali,” he said.

“I stood on the same scales as him and Joe Frazier stood in 1971.

“I took comfort in thinking I was taking part in this historical weekend before the fight had even unfolded, it was amazing.”

Triumph and Tragedy

Both the occasion and the setting lived up to the dreams forged in the early part of the fighter’s career.

Elliott gave his appreciation to family in attendance, with his mother, brother, cousins and countless aunts and uncles there to support him.

He also paid tribute to his father Paul, who took his own life when Oban was seven years old.

“To go from where I’ve come from and what I’ve been through in my life, I get to give moments like that to my family now,” reflects Elliott.

“I’ll be a proud man forever and nobody can take that off me.

“My father is always with me because I had a flag made when he died and it’s as old as the time he passed away.”

As far as the future for Elliott, he has got one eye on the next London UFC event – scheduled for March 2025 – although the card is yet to be confirmed.

“We’re still just scratching the surface,” says Elliott.

“I’ve got a mental career planned out and it’s slowly starting to unfold in front of everyone else.”

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