Rising UFC star Oban Elliott was determined to literally fight his way from Merthyr Tydfil to Madison Square Garden on his terms.
For decades fighters and fans have flocked to the iconic New York venue – but Elliott was not interested in being just another tourist in the Big Apple. With the Welshman’s name now on the MSG poster for UFC 309 on Saturday night, Elliott, who has picked up wins in Los Angeles and Manchester this year, will continue to let his MMA skills dictate his globe-trotting journey.
The 26-year-old, who faces American welterweight Bassil Hafez, said: “Madison Square Garden was a total dream of mine. I just knew that if you fight at MSG, you have made it. So I always wanted to fight there, and now I’m about to do that.
“I could have come and visited, but I never wanted to, it was never my plan. It was to get to America through fighting or I didn’t go at all. It was the same with the UFC – I would never go and watch a show until I was a contracted athlete.
“And New York and MSG is the one, because when I was a fan of the sport, MMA was still illegal in New York. It was almost like this dream that was unattainable, until Conor McGregor (at UFC 205 in November 2016) did his thing. Then I thought, ‘I have got to do it’.
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“Now all I have to do is go out there and be me and have a little dance!” MSG’s fighting Mecca status was built on the back of boxing and professional wrestling and Elliott has promised a WWE-inspired showcase.
But whether it is a tribute to Hulk Hogan, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage or maybe CM Punk remains anyone’s guess, with ‘The Welsh Gangster’, who has been spotted in the crowd at several WWE events this year, adding: “Have I got something planned? Well, this is why you have got to tune in.
“It is going to be good. It will be a celebration, this fight. It is like a crowning or inauguration, what I am about to do.”