‘I’m chasing UFC glory and greatness – then I’ll be a jacked WWE famous person’
EXCLUSIVE: Welsh MMA fighter Oban Elliott is determined to thrill fans in the MMA cage and pro wrestling ring before he hangs up his gloves and spandex
From armbars to arm drags, kimura locks to suplexes, butterfly guards to Boston crabs and guillotine chokes to powerbombs… Oban Elliott is determined to thrill fans in the MMA cage and pro wrestling ring before he hangs up his gloves and spandex.
Elliott enjoyed a dream debut year in the UFC, the Welshman racking up three big wins on major pay-per-views in 2024 while quickly winning over fans with his larger-than-life personality.
A rapid rise up the welterweight rankings looks on the cards for 27-year-old in the foreseeable future in the octagon. However, Elliott, who celebrated his win at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden by breaking out his best Hulk Hogan impression, is planning to eventually transfer his UFC career to the WWE, with the two companies merging in 2023 under the TKO banner.
Ahead of Oban-mania running wild, Elliott said: “Without a doubt, I will be in a wrestling ring. I will be in the WWE at some point in my career, because I will be in this business until I am too old to do it.
“I will transition from the UFC to the WWE when it is time. I’ll be 55 and jacked and having my retirement match, you know! When I was a kid I watched both UFC and wrestling. I just found wrestling more entertaining.
“I have been watching UFC since UFC 40 back in the day (2002) – my dad had them all in the house. But I found the WWE to be more entertaining, the matches were better, full of drama.
“And then I realised, of course, that one is a flat-out sport and the other has an element of entertainment intertwined in it. I fell in love with the UFC when I realised it was something that I could do.
“I had no idea how I could become a professional wrestler, but I knew I could become a fighter because that’s all I ever did – boxing, kick-boxing, judo, taekwondo – since I was a little kid.”
First ‘The Welsh Gangster’ has unfinished business in the cage to take care of. Despite being 3-0 in the UFC and 12-2 overall, Elliott is happy to bide his time and let the opportunities, fame and fortune come to him.
He added: “Would a number (ranking) next to my name make me feel more proud of myself? No. I am chasing all the glory and the greatness in the world.
“I am just letting it come to me. It is all just getting laid out like a red carpet. I am just here to absorb every fight like it is my own main event or title fight itself. I am not chasing anyone. I take everything as it comes.”
