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Joining the UFC is the goal of nearly every athlete that makes the transition into mixed martial arts. The promotion represents the peak of the sport and is where legends are born and made.
However, signing for the UFC was never the easiest task for fighters crawling through the mud on the regional scene.
Thus, Dana White's Contender Series has emerged as a funnel for high-potential fighters to make their way into the promotion. This was the opportunity that came into the hands of a railway worker by the name of Oban Elliott, who is set to quit his job after scoring a UFC contract in a three-round war on DWCS.
The 25-year old is among the few Welsh nationals in the UFC and sports a record of 9 wins and just two losses. Furthermore, he is now on a five-fight win streak after his success on episode three of this year's Dana White's Contender Series.
During an interview after his victory, Oban Elliott referenced the comments he'd seen:
"You know, I just went on my phone and the first thing I saw in the comments was, 'What an obnoxious, cross-eyed goofball.' And I thought, 'F****** hell, how do they know me so well?'"
When asked about his occupation, Oban Elliott spoke about his job as a railway worker and the brutal schedule he was subjected to:
"I work on the railroad. Is it the railroad over here, the railways? Yeah, I'm like a track worker, so it's like the shifts are pretty unkind, like 10 in the night until late in the morning. On the shovel, no more getting any rest."
See the interview below:
Elliott isn't the only MMA fighter who has had to hold a second job. Reigning UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja worked as an Uber driver just two fights ago.
Unfortunately, due to the promotion's controversial pay structure, the Welshman may find it difficult to make a full-time living until he climbs the rankings.
However, even well-paid fighters have aired their grievances with the promotion, like one-time middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa, who has become increasingly difficult to get inside the octagon.
