Oban Elliott on assembly Chael Sonnen and CM Punk after first UFC prefer: ‘I actually am living the dream’

No man is flying increased than Oban Elliott is appropriate now.

This past Saturday, Elliott made his UFC debut, taking a unanimous resolution prefer over Val Woodburn at UFC 298. It was the success of a childhood dream and a promise made to his uninteresting father, and as such, Elliott is on cloud 9 within the meantime.

“I’m living the dream. I actually am living the dream,” Elliott acknowledged on The MMA Hour.

“I would possibly perhaps presumably furthermore fair be the happiest man within the area appropriate now. Truthfully. If I would favor accomplished him within the first spherical, incredible — would possibly perhaps presumably need gotten 50 immense as smartly — but I contain this goes to pay plenty bigger than $50,000 in dividends going forward. Three rounds below the lights admire that, in a noteworthy enviornment admire that, and I was extra contented as the fight went on. I’m now not appropriate coming to the UFC for fair a little bit of hype, I’m going to the tip, in my head. So that’s three rounds of grand trip banked. It couldn’t like long past any better. Getting dropped and overcoming that — I knew I had that in me anyway, but on the noteworthy stage, would I truly like iced up? No. I stood grand. I couldn’t be extra good enough with myself.”

Scoring his first UFC prefer was finest the starting of Elliott’s evening. After doing the valuable publish-fight media and medicals, Elliott was in for a surprise as had the likelihood to fulfill CM Punk, who was in attendance. A lifelong wrestling fan, Elliott jumped on the opportunity.

“Catch the clinical carried out, hobble and create the media,” Elliott acknowledged. “Lunge and fetch the media carried out, then I’m doing my photography, and as I’m doing my photography, Megan Olivi runs up … ‘Oban, would you take care of to fulfill CM Punk?’ Fappropriate I desire to fulfill CM Punk! … We hobble attend all of the formula down to the part, I meet CM Punk. … We were appropriate talking, bouncing ideas off every other. I’d take care of to issue you exactly what we were talking about but it was so surreal. We were appropriate talking about how I watched him ahead of. I was fanboying!

“I asked him relating to the nerves. ‘As wrestlers, create you fetch fearful? Because I’ve frequently wished to inquire of 1 in every of you guys this, and likewise you being the finest within the area.’ And he acknowledged, ‘The day I didn’t truly feel the nerves is the day I quit 10 years within the past.’ So I will be capable to purchase that with me the comfort of my profession now. No subject how mighty I’m smyself in that changing room, the finest within the area in his craft will fetch butterflies. And as well they day they weren’t there for him, he walked away.”

And Elliott’s evening unexcited was now not over, because after CM Punk, Elliott got to sooner or later meet his childhood hero, Chael Sonnen.

“I quick fetch dressed, stammer-stammer-stammer, fetch down, attend within the automobile, straight to the part,” Elliott acknowledged. “There’s a team expecting me, they shuttle me off, set me by arrangement of the steal, I’m going up by arrangement of the backstage, walking along the stage, I’m pondering ‘Where is he?’ ESPN arrangement, there he’s! We reach, embrace, and he thanks me for giving him a shoutout within the cage. ‘Pointless to claim!’ He thanks me for that. He in truth talked one arrangement without extend, ‘You know ought to you had him within the mounted triangle, you snatch his head without extend.’

“Correct an overwhelming second. And then he tells me, ‘Here’s appropriate the starting and we’re going to aid this going. Gangsters Inc.’ Hugged him, shook his hand about 50 times, hugged him about 50 times, told him I liked him about 10 times, and each time he acknowledged, ‘I esteem you too!’ Basically the most easy.”

Elliott has been commence about Sonnen’s influence on his profession, asserting that Sonnen was his largest idol rising up and piece of the motive he was a fan of and pursued MMA. So provided that he sooner or later got to fulfill Sonnen, and CM Punk, and just like the corpulent UFC trip, Elliott is unexcited buzzing just a few days after UFC 298.

“We’re appropriate talking and he acknowledged, ‘It’s now not a surprise. I’ve been following you for see you later.’ He frequently kept his distance, was following from afar and would send me the odd message, but didn’t set aside a friendship of it,” Elliott acknowledged. “Here’s appropriate the maddest part to soak up. And I’m unexcited interested by assembly CM Punk while I’m talking to him. And earlier within the week, [Michael] Bisping! Reach on! Bisping!

“On the fighter assembly with Bisping and he looks me within the peep and tells me, ‘Your dad would possibly perhaps presumably presumably be so good enough with you.’ I burst into tears. Coming from him. I’m pondering to myself, what did I create to deserve this? How has this labored out so smartly?”

Now 10-2 in his educated profession and a ragged Cage Warriors beginner champion, the 26-three hundred and sixty five days-ragged Elliott is entirely on his formula in UFC, and for his subsequent act, “The Welsh Gangster” hopes to pass to 2-0 within the promotion with a prefer fair a little nearer to dwelling.

“They’re asserting they’ve got a Manchester card in July,” Elliott acknowledged. “That can presumably presumably be truly trusty. A rental impress would possibly perhaps presumably presumably be good, timing brilliant. I’ve got to let me body heal. I had just a few bumps and bruises going into this fight. I’ve got be sure that all the pieces is OK ahead of going into every other practising camp. But surely within the summertime. No longer too rapidly, where I’m speeding. With any luck the Manchester card in July, if that is lawful.”

And as for an opponent? Smartly, Elliott had too noteworthy of a weekend to be too serious about that.

“Truthfully, and it is a long way a really important piece of an interview, you’ve got to arrangement up the subsequent fight,” Elliott acknowledged when asked about an opponent. “But I will’t contain of a single person that is even rate interested by on the minute, after week I’ve had. … I’m disquieted I don’t like any identify in thoughts. For now, let’s appropriate trip this one.”