Rising UFC welterweight star Oban Elliott has added another milestone to his impressive 2024 campaign, earning his Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt under renowned UK MMA pioneer Richard Shore.
The 25-year-old Welsh standout, who trains at Shore Mixed Martial Arts, received the prestigious promotion following a stellar year that saw him go undefeated in three UFC appearances, including a spectacular third-round knockout victory over Bassil Hafez at Madison Square Garden.
“BJJ brown belt that’s no joke,” Elliott shared on X. “My team-mates voted me fighter of the year, and my coaches gave me knockout of the year from my fight at MSG Brutha! At my gym end-of-year awards, the most prestigious awards ceremony on the planet 2024 will live forever, Brutha.”
The former Cage Warriors veteran is already setting his sights on bigger challenges, particularly targeting a matchup with Jorge Masvidal. “There’s not a long-haired man walking the planet that I need to worry about, brutha. Miami it is! @GamebredFighter,” Elliott stated on social media.
Following UFC 309, Elliott expressed his ambitious outlook: “I’m just going to keep going and keep going. I’m going to keep getting better every fight. Every time you do that walk, the weight cut, you improve as a man. I just fought a good guy there. Everyone was loving that battle… Big respect to Bassil, but we’re still just scratching the surface. I’ve got a mental career planned out here and it’s just slowly starting to unfold in front of everybody else.”
The Merthyr Tydfil native is expected to return to action in March, potentially at UFC 313 at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, marking what could be his fourth consecutive pay-per-view appearance.
