Tristan Connelly opens up on neck surgery, plans war with Darren Elkins

LAS VEGAS – After neck surgery, Tristan Connelly had the kinds of fears most athletes would have: Was he going to be able to compete again?

But once he was given the OK to get back to training, he said he started to tackle things with a new passion. And even though it would be understandable if he was tentative, he doubts that will be the case against a gunslinger like Darren Elkins.

Connelly (14-7 MMA, 1-1 UFC) fights Elkins (26-10 MMA, 16-9 UFC) on the UFC on ESPN 35 main card Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN2/ESPN+.

“It’s a dream come true,” Connelly said about the matchup. “… Stylistically, obviously I love it for myself. But as a fan, I know it’s going to be a good fight. No one’s going to run away from each other. No one’s going to get tired. It’s going to be who can implement their game plan. … It’s going to be a firefight.”

Check out Connelly’s full media day interview in the video above.