If you didn't know better, you may think Tim Elliott's win at UFC 219 was just a regular day at the office.
In the opening fight of UFC's 2017 closer, Tim Elliot did what he always does. He danced while donning a grin on the walk to the Octagon before wowing fans with his performance.
He dazzled in the scrambles, shook off submission attempts and in the second round, he got the finish at the 1:41 mark. Elliott utilised his strength and experience advantage over debutant Mark de la Rosa to finally sink in that anaconda choke and get the win.
Rather than celebrate, he slumped to the ground against the fence and lowered his head. De La Rosa came straight over to congratulate and console the victor.
https://twitter.com/ufc/status/947268328292093953
Elliott, who was originally scheduled to fight Pietro Menga at UFC on FOX 26. had a traumatic build-up to this fight.
Menga was bulking up to featherweight when he got the call from the UFC. When he came in heavy, the promotion requested a catchweight bout. Elliott and his coaches turned it down and were hit with an onslaught of online abuse for requesting his show and win money as compensation for the lost fight.
Two weeks before fight night, Elliott's coach Robert Follis took his own life. Elliott had just moved from Kansas to Nevada to join up with Follis at Xtreme Couture. He bought a house for $270,000.
Despite the horribly sad situation, Elliott managed to put on a vintage performance. Only the aftermath was different to his prior fights. When Joe Rogan handed him the mic, Elliott kept the interview short, but meaningful.
"Thank you, Mark de la Rosa. Robert Follis, I love you. Thank you for everything."
https://twitter.com/ufc/status/947268700318642176
Elliott handled the interview perfectly. With that short line, he said absolutely everything he needed to say.
