Cage Warriors welterweight Oban Elliott has revealed the words of encouragement given to him by Paddy Pimblett after his first career loss.
Elliott was stopped by Michal Figlak in 2020 which took his record to 3-1, a first defeat for the Welshman.
Ahead of his Cage Warriors 153 bout against James Sheehan this weekend, the Shore MMA fighter spoke to Ben Thomas in an exclusive interview for Combat Sports UK.
During the interview, he called Pimblett “a f*cking legend” and detailed the words of encouragement that ‘The Baddy’ gave him.
“I remember when Paddy came on the scene, people trying to slag him off, people who didn’t know him around here asking if I knew him, whatever.
“My first loss, my head was f*cked. I was like ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe it’. Give it a couple of days, I remember I was sat in one of my friend’s houses, [I got a ] message from @PaddyTheBaddy.
“It was as long as my phone screen [with] words of encouragement like ‘You’ve been in the spotlight since you turned pro, I lost my fifth pro fight, I know what it’s like people slagging you off but you’re going to the top’. Nothing but words of encouragement.”
Elliott on His Relationship With Paddy Pimblett
‘The Welsh Gangster’ went on to discuss how he carried on his relationship with the 28-year-old.
He said: “I was only 22 at the time and I was like ‘Oh my god, everyone thinks I’m sh*t now’ and he just lifted me up. [We] texted back and forth, I kept in touch back then, when his phone wasn’t probably what it was now. I don’t know if I’ve shared that before.
“But, I hadn’t seen him until I fought McManus and since that time he’s went massive. And that’s when I thanked him for that message, after I beat George McManus.
“I said ‘I haven’t seen you since but remember when you messaged me?’. He was like ‘Oh don’t worry, don’t laugh, everyone needs a few words of encouragement’.
“Online I was just getting slated and it was tough to see on social media and he just picked me up and [now] he’s the celebrity that he is. It couldn’t happen to a better guy in my opinion”.
Elliott faces James Sheehan this weekend at Cage Warriors 153 in Dublin, Ireland. The event is being broadcast on UFC Fight Pass.
Oban Elliott Full Exclusive Interview
You can watch the full interview with Oban Elliott below:
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