UFC flyweight veteran Tim Elliott remains fiercely loyal to his former coach James Krause, continuing daily communication despite the gambling scandal that led to Krause’s ban from the sport.
Speaking candidly on the JAXXON Podcast, Elliott revealed the depth of their relationship and how Krause transformed his financial situation.
“He’s still my mentor. I talk to him every day,” Elliott stated without hesitation. “The house that I live in is in his name. Like he’s been a guy that’s taken care of me through and even with all the negative stuff.”
The relationship between Elliott and Krause runs deeper than typical coach-fighter dynamics. Elliott credits Krause not just with developing his combat skills, but with providing genuine financial security.
When discussing Krause’s business acumen, Elliott was effusive in his praise: “You could take everything away from James Krause and in two years he’ll be a millionaire. There’s no way like there’s nothing that he can’t turn into MMA.”
The gambling scandal that ended Krause’s UFC involvement remains somewhat mysterious to Elliott himself. “I don’t know the ins and outs of it,” he admitted, describing how the UFC simply called him one day saying he couldn’t train at Glory MMA anymore. “They just said that if I trained that at that gym that I wouldn’t have a job anymore.”
Elliott believes the issue stemmed from Krause bragging about his gambling success rather than the betting itself. “What I’ve got from it like what he was doing wasn’t even technically illegal. But he bragged about it about how easy it was to take this money and how anybody could do it,” Elliott explained.
The veteran contender drew a stark contrast between how different violations are treated in the UFC, suggesting financial crimes receive harsher punishment than violent offenses. “I low key think that if he’d have just beat up his girlfriend or something he would still be in the UFC but he took some money from some rich people and you know they don’t like that.”
Despite the controversy, Elliott maintains unwavering faith in Krause’s coaching abilities. “He’s not even a MMA coach anymore and he’s still the best coach in the world as far as I’m concerned,” Elliott declared.
He credits Krause with teaching him crucial strategic thinking: “The only way I’m going to beat a guy like Brandon Moreno is by having a coach like James Krauss to help me game plan to beat a guy like this.”
The financial aspect of their relationship appears particularly significant. Beyond providing housing, Elliott suggests Krause helped establish his financial foundation during his UFC career. This support system proved crucial during Elliott’s 600-day layoff between fights, when he revealed his bank account had dwindled to just $600.
During a podcast, Elliott also revealed the only time he ever won money gambling on MMA was when he placed a substantial $20,000 bet on himself to win. This wasn’t a casual flutter either – it represented a significant portion of his fight purse at the time.
Elliott had been scheduled to compete in Canada, but his coach never showed up to the weigh-ins, leaving him without his expected show money. After successfully lobbying to receive his contracted payment despite the circumstances, Elliott found himself in an unusual position when he secured a replacement match on short notice.
“My guy didn’t show up to weigh-ins so I didn’t get a fight and I wasn’t going to get my show money. This was before they were giving guys show money but I b**ched and cried about it and luckily James Krauss was there. He got me my show money.”
“My coach never showed up. He ended up hiking in the mountains in Las Vegas and shooting himself in the head. I was waiting on him. I paid extra to get him there that dayand he never showed up.”
“But two weeks later, I got a fight at 35. They gave me a a like a layup fight and I showed up. I won that fight. I got a bonus and I put my show money on myself to win. So, the only money I ever won gambling, I bet 20 grand on myself one time to win and that’s the only gambling money I’ve ever won,” Elliott explained during the podcast.
Elliott was quick to distance himself from any systematic gambling, emphasizing that his single bet was an isolated incident born from specific circumstances rather than any pattern of behavior.
Today, Elliott continues competing in the UFC’s flyweight division, having recently returned from a 600-day layoff with an impressive victory.
