Oban Elliott secured a solid unanimous decision victory win against Val Woodburn at UFC 298 to get his UFC career off to the perfect start.
The Welshman joined the promotion on the back of a majority decision win against Kail Brito on the 2023 Contender Series.
After weighting half a year to make his debut, it eventually came on the monster UFC 298 card.
Speaking to TNT sports post fight, 'The Welsh Gangster' revealed just what it meant to him to secure his first win in the UFC, he said:
"With a tear in my eye, the greatest moment of my life. Oh my god. Honestly, you hear it growing up, hard work pays off, I can't recommend it enough. Just keep working hard because this is the time of my life, honest to god."
It looked like Elliott was about to get the dream start to his UFC tenure when he landed a big head kick on Val Woodburn but the USA native fired back with strikes in quick succession that could've put the Welshman in danger. Elliott was full of respect for his opponent post fight. He said:
"Fair play to him because I thought it looked like it was over. I have been in there a lot, throughout the course of my life I have knocked a lot of people out and you kind of know when it is about to go but before I knew it, as quick as I could blink, he has hit me back and fair play, that's fighting. I am not afraid to admit that you can't go swimming and not get wet. Every great champion, in MMA it's different but it's even harder in MMA but there is an old saying in boxing. Every great champion ripped them self off the canvas to win. Back to back I have done that now. Yeah I got hit, because I am in a cage fight."
Elliott admitted that as much as he would have enjoyed getting the job done earlier in the contest, he has earned more valuable time in the cage, at the top level, which will only serve him well, moving forward.
"I welcomed him to the weight, he's very tough, he had nothing to lose. All the pressure was off him and he was in there for the full three rounds. I would have loved to have gone out there and hit him with a lovely one, two, job done, but I've just had another three rounds in the UFC, at the highest level, all the lights. I didn't have it all my way, I only lost 30 seconds of the whole fight but I am set up now to go again."
Elliott took all three rounds on two of the judges scorecards and two of the three rounds on the third, on his way to securing his unanimous decision win.
You can see Elliott's full interview, here
