Tim Elliott responds to cheating accusations from Islam Makhachev: “I’m trying to make money at this job, and that’s what I did”
UFC flyweight Tim Elliott has reacted to those suggesting he cheated against Tagir Ulanbekov at UFC 272.
Earlier this month, former title challenger Tim Elliott went into his PPV bout against Tagir Ulanbekov as a notable underdog. The inconsistent results he’d accumulated throughout his UFC tenure had many wondering whether or not he’d be able to hang with Ulanbekov but in the end, Elliott pulled off the upset and secured a decision win.
In the immediate aftermath, however, Islam Makhachev – who was cornering Tagir – voiced his frustration on social media after noting that Elliott had been guilty of foul play on several occasions throughout the contest.
During an appearance on MMA Fighting’s We Got Next, Elliott gave a pretty honest account of what happened.
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“At the end of the day, if Tagir would’ve beat me, nobody would’ve said s*** about the glove grab, nobody would’ve said anything about the cheating. The only reason why people are upset about the glove grab s*** is because they lost. His team lost and it just makes them look bad. They wouldn’t have said anything about anything had they won, so it’s just one of those things.
“If you’ve ever been in a fight — and maybe I’m different — I’m trying to win, man. It’s the referee’s job to step in there if I’m doing something wrong. He was telling me all kinds of s***, he told me to let go of the glove and I let go of the glove. But for me, it’s not that big of a deal. I’m in there fist fighting. People are going on and on about the morality of the sport and the warrior spirit and all of that bulls***, but I don’t f****** care. I’m not a martial artist — I’m a fighter and this is my job. I’m trying to make money at this job, and that’s what I did [at UFC 272].”
Quotes via MMA News
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