LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag] is open to fighting [autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag] after UFC on ESPN 45.
Elliott returned to defeat Victor Altamirano in this past Saturday’s main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Elliott has been called out multiple times by undefeated prospect Mokaev, who is struggling to find a ranked opponent to fight him.
When asked about Mokaev, Elliott (19-12-1 MMA, 8-10 UFC) said he welcomes the matchup.
“For sure,” Elliott told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “He calls me out every weekend, and everybody calls me out. I mean, I want to fight the 36-year-old crippled guy too. Let’s go. I’ll fight whoever, whenever.”
Elliott’s response drew excitement from Mokaev (10-0-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC), who appreciates his willingness to fight.
That’s what you call a real man!
Let’s go @ufc I’m waiting for the contract! pic.twitter.com/DPn5kGdWOj— Muhammad Mokaev (@muhammadmokaev) June 4, 2023
“That’s what you call a real man! Let’s go @ufc I’m waiting for the contract!”
Elliott now has won four of his past five but was quite critical of his performance against Altamirano. The 36-year-old recently opened up about his divorce with former UFC fighter Gina Mazany, which weighed heavily on him during training camp.
“I wasn’t really happy with the performance, but I love this job, I love this sport, I love my coaches, and I love my team,” Elliott said. “I just had a long camp. It was a grueling camp. Outside of fighting, I had a lot of things going on, and that kind of took away from what I love about this sport so much, but on the mats with my team, I’ve never had more fun. I have a great group of guys who were pushing me, that were helping me.
“I had a ton of support from the MMA community with my hardships going on, and I wanted to perform so well that I felt crippled out there. I was having a hard time moving, a hard time finding my groove. Victor fought a hard fight. He just didn’t fight a smart fight, and I feel like that’s the only reason why I won.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 45.