In a season of “The Ultimate Fighter” filled with champions, Tim Elliott was the last man standing and now will challenge for Demetrious Johnson’s flyweight championship.
Elliott (13-6-1 MMA, 2-4 UFC) and Johnson (24-2-1 MMA, 12-1-1 UFC) meet Saturday in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale, which takes place at The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The card airs on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.
Elliott will be starting his second run in the UFC with the fight. He only picked up two victories in six octagon outings in his first stint with the promotion. He doesn’t feel like he was beaten much during the run, but understood why the UFC made the decision to part ways with him.
“Honestly, I had no problems being cut by the UFC,” Elliott told MMAjunkie at today’s media day. “I thought it kind of sucked, but you’ve got to win. I felt like the only person who really beat me in the UFC was Joseph Benavidez. Zach Makovski laid on me and was a boring fight, John Dodson ran backward for three rounds, Ali Bagautinov ran backward for three rounds. I didn’t have the best performances and I could have definitely done better, but you’ve got to win. The UFC wants winners and I wasn’t winning. I get it.”
Elliott said he took time away from the grind of training following his release. But motivation can come from the smallest things – or people.
In Elliott’s case, the motivation came in the form of his wife giving birth to a baby girl.
“Being fired by the UFC and having my baby, it lit a fire under my ass,” Elliott said. “That’s what got me to where I’m at now.”
Elliott has fully embraced fatherhood..
The 29-year-old previously spoke to MMAjunkie Radio about his role as a stay-at-home dad and the toll being on a reality show and grinding through a training camp while away from his family had on him leading to his meeting with the No. 1 fighter in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA pound-for-pound and MMA flyweight rankings
“I’m a stay-at-home dad, so I spend every second with my kid, from the moment she wakes up to the moment she goes to bed,” Elliott told MMAjunkie Radio. “To leave her for seven weeks at a time when she’s growing and developing a personality, it was tough. (It was the toughest thing I ever had to do) by far.”
Check out the video above for more from Elliott ahead of the biggest opportunity of his career.
For more on The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show, available on SiriusXM Ch. 93, is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.
