Evan Elder looking to take Orell Fisher down and finish him at Shamrock FC 327

Over the course of his first year and a half as a pro, lightweight Evan Elder has already been through the kinds of highs and lows that sometimes careers twice as long as his have yet to experience.

After coming off two finishes in his first two pro bouts, Elder has spent the rest of the time on the sidelines recovering from Injury. Still, he maintains a lot of positivity and feels like his time in the pro ranks has ultimately been rewarding so far.

“I’m only 2-0 right now as a pro,” Elder told MMAWeekly.com. “I just had a pretty long layoff due to an injury, so it took me about six months to recover than, so it’s been about eight months since my last fight.

“I had two good wins and I felt really confident in those. I’m feeling really good, really confident, and if anything I’m happy to be in the gym always learning and improving.”

It’s in his development that Elder finds the most rewarding aspect of his career so far, thanks in large part to the team he has around him.

“I’ve grown exponentially,” said Elder. “I’m surrounded by amazing fighters and amazing coaches, and overall great people. Not only the training great, but the energy in the room, having the right energy to carry on throughout your day really affects your whole career.

“I feel like I’ve grown a lot being around a lot of super-high level fighters. I have so much room for growth everywhere, but I feel that being down here is the best thing I’ve done for my career and I’m growing greatly.”

On Saturday in St. Louis, Mo., Elder (2-0) will finally return to action when he faces Orell Fisher (0-1) in a main card 155-pound bout at Shamrock FC 327.

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“Orell Fisher is a tall striker, who is very explosive,” Elder said. “I think he stands pretty upright, so I think the takedown will be easy. I think at any time I want I can take him down and finish him.

“With that being said he’s very strong and athletic, so I’m not taking him lightly by any means. Every fight is the most important fight of your life. I’m excited to get in there with somebody with good hands and show that I’m not afraid to get in there and work with somebody who’s a good striker.”

While he’s eager to get back to fighting, Elder acknowledges that he wants to take things one step at a time to start with and get himself back on track in the best way possible.

“I think it’s best to just go fight by fight,” said Elder. “I had a long layoff, and I was wanting to get back into it and keep the ball rolling once I got back into the cage.

“I’m willing to fight every couple months. I want to stay busy, but I want to take it fight by fight and not set any roadmap at all; we’ll just play it by ear.”