Oban Elliott Prepares for Madison Square Garden Debut on Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic Card

At the age of 13, Oban Elliott witnessed Jon Jones secure his initial world title. He stated, “I watched Jon Jones beat Shogun [Mauricio Rua] in 2011 on a Sunday morning when I was at school and now I’m fighting on his card!” Following UFC 128, at 13 years old, Oban Elliott’s aspirations solidified. Unbeknownst to ‘The Welsh Gangster’ at the time, 13 years later he would be getting ready to compete at Madison Square Garden on the same evening as one of his athletic heroes. Now 26, the Welsh fighter openly expresses his enthusiasm for competing on the same event as an individual whom UFC president Dana White has referred to as “the greatest of all time.” Elliott remarked, “I’m going to be backstage at the weigh-ins with him.” He added, “I’m fighting on the Jon Jones card. Do you know how mad that is?” The main event of UFC 309 will feature Jon Jones facing Stipe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight world title. This contest might mark Jones’ final fight, although he has indicated a willingness to consider a legacy bout with Alex Pereira as well. In contrast, Elliott is at an early stage of his UFC career; however, the Merthyr Tydfil native displays equal ambition and self-assurance. He stated, “I feel proud of myself [to be fighting in New York] but I’m also not surprised, it’s my first year in the UFC and we are going to go all the way.” After securing a unanimous-decision victory against Preston Parsons in Manchester in July, Elliott expressed his desire to be included on the UFC 309 card, saying: “If you’ve put me on UFC 298 [pay per view card] in the Honda Centre and UFC 304 on the biggest UK card in history, why not chuck me on the Jon Jones card as well?” Elliott’s request was granted, and he is now preparing to conclude his inaugural year by competing against Bassil Hafez. This achievement makes Elliott the first Welshman to participate in three UFC pay-per-view events. A related segment features Welsh UFC athletes Jack Shore and Oban Elliott selecting their four greatest fighters of all time. Elliott reflected on his experiences, stating: “Thirty minutes of fighting in 2024 [two bouts of three rounds of five minutes], what that has done for my 26 years of life so far. “It’s kind of capped off my life up to this moment. “Thirty minutes of hard work under the lights, it is so surreal and I’m just grateful for it every day.” Nevertheless, Hafez is expected to present what could be Elliott’s most challenging opponent yet within the octagon. In July 2023, Hafez experienced a split decision defeat against Jack Della Maddalena, who is ranked fourth in the welterweight division. Elliott commented, “In one of the judge’s eyes he won the fight.” He continued, “So the fact he’s been in there with Jack is impressive, fair play, but we’ll see what he’s like in there with me.” Oban Elliott carries a Welsh flag inscribed with his father’s name. Paul, Oban’s father, significantly influenced his choice to pursue combat sports. He would provide boxing gloves for Oban and his brother, encouraging them to try boxing, taekwondo, judo, and kickboxing. Tragically, Paul died by suicide when Oban was only seven years old. Oban bears a tattoo commemorating his father, symbolizing his desire to include him in his ongoing journey. Elliott reflected on his upcoming fight, stating: “To get the fight in MSG, I just like to think back to all those hard times I went through.” He added, “Where I am now, nobody can take my body of work away from me.” Elliott also mentioned, “I never wanted to go to New York until I fought there, Madison Square Garden in particular, because of how famous it is.” He concluded, “All those silly people who doubted me, they’ll have to watch me fight in the world’s most famous arena, living my dream, living my best life.”