Introduction
Timothy Elliott (born December 24, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the former Titan FC Flyweight Champion. He has been professional competitor since 2009 and is currently in his second tenure with the UFC. As of December 5, 2016, he is #15 in UFC flyweight rankings.
Background
Elliott was born on December 24, 1986 in Wichita, Kansas. Elliott originally attended Campus High School, but transferred to Wichita South High School for his junior year. Elliott was a state wrestling champion at Wichita South his senior year in 2005. Elliott was on the wrestling team at Labette Community College before transferring to the University of Central Oklahoma. He earned a bachelor's degree in Science and General Studies.
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Elliott compiled a record of 8–2–1 in his first 11 fights before signing with the UFC, including a notable KO victory over former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Elliott signed with UFC on April 17, 2012.
In his UFC debut, Elliott faced The Ultimate Fighter 14 winner John Dodson on May 5, 2012 at UFC on Fox 3, replacing an injured Darren Uyenoyama. Elliott lost the fight via unanimous decision.
In his second fight, Elliott faced Jared Papazian on December 15, 2012 at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson Finale. He won the fight via unanimous decision. The fight also earned him the Fight of the Night bonus.
For his third fight, Elliott faced Louis Gaudinot on August 31, 2013 at UFC 164. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Elliott fought Ali Bagautinov at UFC 167 on November 16, 2013. The bout marked his first appearance on the main card of a pay-per-view event in the fight. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Elliott faced Joseph Benavidez on April 26, 2014 at UFC 172. He lost the fight via submission in the first round.
Elliott was expected to face Wilson Reis on August 23, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 49. However, Elliott pulled out of the bout in the days leading up to the event.
Elliott faced Zach Makovsky on February 15, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 60. He lost the back-and-forth fight by unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the organization.
Titan FC
Elliott made his debut and faced former UFC Flyweight Iliarde Santos at Titan FC 34 for the inaugural Titan FC Flyweight Championship. He won the fight by a dominant unanimous decision and picked up the Titan FC Flyweight Championship.
For his first title defense, Elliott faced undefeated prospect and promotional newcomer Felipe Efrain at Titan FC 35 on September 19, 2015. He won the fight by submission in the second round.
Elliot next faced former UFC Bantamweight Pedro Nobre at Titan FC 37 on March 5, 2016. He won the fight by unanimous decision for his second successful title defense.
The Ultimate Fighter
On July 21, 2016 Elliott was announced as a cast member on the 24th season of The Ultimate Fighter. The winner of the show, will get chance to fight Demetrious Johnson for the UFC Flyweight Championship. Despite being ranked as the number 3 seed, Elliott was selected as the first overall pick by former opponent Joseph Benavidez.
In his first fight, Elliott faced 14th ranked 'Team Cejudo' fighter Charlie Alaniz. He submitted Aniz in the first round by bulldog choke. In the quarterfinals, Elliott faced 6th ranked 'Team Cejudo' fighter and former Caged contestant Matt Schnell. Despite being struck with a devastating groin kick in the opening moments of the bout, he was able to recover and submit Schnell in the first round by front choke. In the semifinals, Elliott faced 15th ranked 'Team Benavidez' teammate Eric Shelton. After two competitive rounds, Elliott was declared the winner by majority decision. Elliott fought 5th ranked 'Team Benavidez' teammate Hiromasa Ogikubo in the final round. Elliot won the fight by unanimous decision 30–27, winning the 24th season of The Ultimate Fighter.
Return to the UFC
As a result of winning The Ultimate Fighter 24, Elliott fought the current flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson on December 3, 2016 at The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale for the flyweight championship.
Despite being a huge underdog, Elliott became the first man at Flyweight to take down the champion more than twice and even attempt a d'arce choke. Elliott would go on to lose the fight by unanimous decision.
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 21 matches | 13 wins | 7 losses |
| By knockout | 3 | 1 |
| By submission | 5 | 2 |
| By decision | 5 | 4 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 13–7–1 | Demetrious Johnson | Decision (unanimous) | The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions Finale | December 3, 2016 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | For the UFC Flyweight Championship. |
| Win | 13–6–1 | Pedro Nobre | Decision (unanimous) | Titan FC 37 | March 5, 2016 | 5 | 5:00 | Ridgefield, Washington, United States | Defended the Titan FC Flyweight Championship. |
| Win | 12–6–1 | Felipe Efrain | Submission (guillotine choke) | Titan FC 35 | September 19, 2015 | 2 | 2:30 | Ridgefield, Washington, United States | Defended the Titan FC Flyweight Championship. |
| Win | 11–6–1 | Iliarde Santos | Decision (unanimous) | Titan FC 34 | July 18, 2015 | 5 | 5:00 | Kansas City, Missouri, United States | Won the inaugural Titan FC Flyweight Championship. |
| Loss | 10–6–1 | Zach Makovsky | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Thatch | February 14, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | |
| Loss | 10–5–1 | Joseph Benavidez | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC 172 | April 26, 2014 | 1 | 4:08 | Baltimore, Maryland, United States | |
| Loss | 10–4–1 | Ali Bagautinov | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 167 | November 16, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 10–3–1 | Louis Gaudinot | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 164 | August 31, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States | |
| Win | 9–3–1 | Jared Papazian | Decision (unanimous) | The Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson Finale | December 15, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 8–3–1 | John Dodson | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller | May 5, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 8–2–1 | Josh Rave | Technical Submission (D'Arce choke) | RFA 2 | March 30, 2012 | 1 | 0:28 | Kearney, Nebraska, United States | |
| Win | 7–2–1 | Jens Pulver | KO (knee) | RFA 1 | December 16, 2011 | 2 | 2:12 | Kearney, Nebraska, United States | |
| Win | 6–2–1 | Kashif Solarin | Submission (ninja choke) | Cowboy MMA: Caged Cowboys | May 21, 2011 | 1 | 0:57 | Ponca City, Oklahoma, United States | |
| Win | 5–2–1 | John McDowell | TKO (punches) | Art of War Cage Fights | February 26, 2011 | 1 | 2:56 | Ponca City, Oklahoma, United States | |
| Win | 4–2–1 | Victor Dominguez | Decision (unanimous) | C3 Fights | October 22, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Newkirk, Oklahoma, United States | |
| Win | 3–2–1 | Cody Fuller | Submission (triangle choke) | Bricktown Brawl 5 | June 25, 2010 | 3 | 2:34 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States | |
| Win | 2–2–1 | Michael Casteel | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Bricktown Brawl 4 | April 2, 2010 | 1 | 2:01 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States | |
| Win | 1–2–1 | Victor Veloquio | KO (punches) | BB 3: Holiday Havoc | December 11, 2009 | 1 | 0:33 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States | |
| Loss | 0–2–1 | Jacky Bryant | TKO (punches) | Bricktown Brawl 2 | August 28, 2009 | 1 | 0:52 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States | |
| Loss | 0–1–1 | Shane Howell | Submission (triangle choke) | Harrah Fight Night | June 27, 2009 | 3 | 2:25 | Harrah, Oklahoma, United States | |
| Draw | 0–0–1 | Jerod Spoon | Draw | Bricktown Brawl 1 | May 8, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States |
Mixed martial arts exhibition record
| Exhibition record breakdown | ||
| 4 matches | 4 wins | 0 losses |
| By submission | 2 | 0 |
| By decision | 2 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 4–0 | Hiromasa Ogikubo | Decision (unanimous) | The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions | November 30, 2016 (airdate) | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | TUF 24 Final round |
| Win | 3–0 | Eric Shelton | Decision (majority) | The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions | November 23, 2016 (airdate) | 2 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | TUF 24 Semi-final round |
| Win | 2–0 | Matt Schnell | Submission (front choke) | The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions | November 16, 2016 (airdate) | 1 | 3:24 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | TUF 24 Quarter-final round |
| Win | 1–0 | Charlie Alaniz | Submission (bulldog choke) | The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions | October 12, 2016 (airdate) | 1 | 1:51 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | TUF 24 Round of 16 |