UFC flyweight Tim Elliott recently offered a candid assessment of his victory over former RIZIN champion Kai Asakura at UFC 319. He acknowledged his opponent’s technical superiority while explaining how he still managed to secure the win.
Elliott returned from a lengthy layoff to submit Asakura with a guillotine choke in the second round. During the post-bout interview, Elliot revealed that everything unfolded according to plan despite early challenges.
“The whole entire game plan, everything that we worked was lose the first round, just make sure that we get out of the first round,” Elliott explained after his victory. “If we get out of the first round, we’re going to win this fight.”
That prediction proved accurate when Elliott secured a takedown in the second round and capitalized on Asakura’s position to lock in the submission with just 21 seconds remaining in the frame.
What made Elliott’s post-bout comments particularly noteworthy was his honest evaluation of both fighters’ abilities.
“Kai is a better martial arts artist than me. He’s probably a better technical fighter than me, but MMA is not about who’s the best,” Elliott said. “It’s about who can mix it up better, who can have their game plan work, and I was able to do that on Saturday.”
The American veteran described himself as both “a coach’s dream” for his willingness to follow instructions and “a coach’s nightmare” because of his love for engaging in exchanges rather than sticking strictly to technical game plans.
“I’m a coach’s dream in the sense that I’ll listen and I’ll trust you and I’ll do whatever you say, but also I’m a coach’s nightmare because I love to fight and I’m going to do unwise things. I can’t help it,” Elliott admitted.
Although Asakura controlled much of the first round with pressure and sharp striking, he ended up falling victim to Elliott’s opportunistic submission. This victory marks Elliott’s second consecutive win and reaffirms his position among the division’s contenders.
