After having spent much of the last couple of years bouncing around to various gyms in multiple cities, flyweight Tim Elliott feels like he’s finally found a place to call home in Next Generation MMA.
Perhaps the biggest part of Elliott’s move to Next Generation MMA has been the fact that he feels like he can fully commit himself to his training and is reaping the rewards of that investment by feeling at home in MMA.
“I moved to Las Vegas to train with Robert Follis, but then he killed himself,” Elliott told MMAWeekly.com. “Then I moved to Kansas City and was there for two years, but the gym in Kansas City got shut down. So now I moved to Frisco, Texas, to train with Chris Brennan, and I’ve been lucky to find a place here.
“I feel like a professional athlete for the first time. No matter what happens in my life, the good things in my life are my daughter and fighting, and those never change, and I’m lucky to have both.”
Part of what has helped Elliott fit into a professional athlete’s life has been the structure he’s found at his new gym and the dedication to the everyday routine that helps develop his game and those around him.
“Here we do everything right, we get up early, do cardio, sauna, ice bath, take our supplements, eat some breakfast, shower, get dressed, go to the gym, and train – and we do the same thing every day,” said Elliott.
“It’s a real load off my shoulders, because I don’t have to do anything except for what people around me are already doing. I’m taking care of myself as a professional athlete would and I’m getting the results from my training that a professional athlete would.”
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Tim Elliott faces Victor Altamirano at UFC Vegas 74
At UFC Vegas 74: Kara-France vs. Albazi on Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada, Elliott (18-12-1) will look to pick up back-to-back wins for the first time in several years when he takes on Victor Altamirano (12-2) in a main card flyweight bout.
“I really like the fight because I can really be myself,” Elliott said. “I’ve been working on some weird, crazy, fun things, that might work with this guy. With Victor I can go out there and do the things I’ve been working on, and have some fun, and get awkward, get wild, and get that bonus money.
“At the end of the day, I feel I can get him in a submission in the second round. I feel like I can take him down and work him over in the first round and then get a submission in the early second round.”
For Elliott, having been through so much change over the last couple of years, he just wants to move from one fight to the next and keep momentum going and not think too much about what’s further down the line other than the next fight he’s got lined up.
“For me, I like to get a fight right after I’ve had a fight because I’m in shape and I’m ready to go,” said Elliott. “I’m finally making a real living now, so I want to rack them up.
“So if I come out of this fight without getting injured, I’m going to start coming for the Top 10. I’d like to get one of those guys and hopefully stay active.”
Back on track, Tim Elliott targets UFC Top 10
