Welshman Oban Elliott rocked the world of UFC in New York on Saturday night, delivering a stunning third round knockout win in front of a huge crowd that included President-elect Donald Trump.
Elliott stole the show at UFC 309 as he earned a $50,000 bonus for performance of the night, demolishing highly-rated Bassil Hafez with a huge overhand right. It was Elliott's third win in a row since his UFC debut last year.
The 26-year-old showman strutted around like Hulk Hogan after the decisive blow, cupping his ears to the raucous American crowd amid huge roars.
He then addressed the fans in an Octagon interview, shouting: "How do you like that New York City?!"
Elliott, who is known as the 'Welsh Gangster', is becoming a hot property in the sport and believes he can become one of the greatest fighters on the planet. "We shook up the world tonight," he said.
Elliott was fighting on the undercard of the huge heavyweight clash between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic at Madison Square Garden. Jones won the fight and celebrated with President Trump and Elon Musk, handing the former his built in a show of respect.
Merthyr Tydfil fighter Elliott, 26, lost his father Paul to suicide when he was just seven-years-old. He credits his dad, who was an amateur boxer and UFC fan, with sparking his love for the sport.
Elliott has spent his entire life working towards becoming a UFC fighter, doing night shifts on the rail tracks of south Wales to support himself while training. He worked from 10pm until late morning, digging and labouring.
Elliott said previously: "I didn’t know how I was going to get here at the time, but I told all my teachers in school, I told all my friends, ‘I will be in the UFC one day and I’ll be chasing that belt.’ And here I am! Look at me now.
He said of his father last year: "If only he'd survived that bad patch he was going through, I'm sure this [his fighting success] would have given him a big purpose to stick about."
Elliott's first amateur fight was in July 2016, with his professional debut coming in March 2019 He went on to sign with Cage Warriors, before winning a place in UFC after victory in the organisation's 'Contender' series. He trains at Shore Mixed Martial Arts in Abertillery, with coach Richard Shore and fellow UFC fighter Jack Shore.
Speaking of his journey, he said: "When you're out on the night shift and you're on the track - those days were rough. But it just built my character differently.
"Behind the scenes, working full-time and training full-time has made me the man, the fighter that you see today."
