Tim Elliott is going all in for his flyweight matchup with Jordan Espinosa later tonight (Sat., Mar. 6, 2021) on the early “Prelims” portion of UFC 259 from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, and that includes placing a large bet on himself.
This will be Elliott’s 15th trip to the Octagon, but arguably his most important. Elliott is coming off a decision win over Ryan Benoit last year, but the 34-year-old is just 1-3 in his last four appearances and 3-5 overall since making his return to UFC back in 2016. It’s crucial that Elliott finds a victory this weekend at UFC 259 to stay afloat in a division getting younger and more versatile by the day.
Luckily, Elliott has a great team behind him and believes he’s made the necessary adjustments in training to become a little more consistent inside of the cage. Elliott is so confident coming into his matchup with Espinosa later tonight at UFC 259 that he’s even betting a large amount of money on himself to pull out the win.
“My inconsistency in the UFC has been due to my inconsistency with coaching and training. I’m on a set schedule with James Krause now and it is nice to get back to that lifestyle. I don’t see where I lose this fight,” said Elliott during a recent appearance on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “He doesn’t have the power to knock me out. He also doesn’t have the submission skills to submit me, and even if he did, I don’t think he can take me down. I will put a significant amount of money on myself because I’m investing in myself. I think this is a tailor-made matchup for me. I’m lucky enough to have a guy in James who coached him.”
Elliott, who is currently a betting favorite against Espinosa, has the skill set to win at UFC 259 and grab his first UFC win streak since 2012-2013. However, Elliott understands his current spot in the UFC’s flyweight division and knows another loss could land him outside of the promotion for a second time.
“If I can’t beat Jordan I don’t belong in the top-15 of the UFC. I think this is a fight where the UFC can shed some weight and the loser will probably get cut,” Elliott concluded.
What say you, fight fans? Was it smart of Elliott to bet on himself for UFC 259? Does he pull out the win and cash in?
Let’s hear it!
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 259 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 5:15 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.