UFC 298 star Oban Elliott prompts concern and confusion with 28lb weight cut claims

Extreme weight-cut claims surrounding Oban Elliott caused confusion ahead of UFC 298. An MMA instructor claims the team thought his fight with Val Woodburn was at 185lbs, not the agreed 170lbs.

Richard Shore, an MMA specialist, shared this on X: “S***… we just realized the fight for @ObanElliottMMA is 170lb. We thought it was 185lb. We are hard at work trying to make the weight, but we can’t give any guarantees… #prayforthegangster #UFC298,” A fan thinks Elliott can drop 15lbs quickly, but Shore isn’t so sure.

He said: “Problem is we came this morning at 198lbs thinking it was 185lb. 28lbs in 2 hours is gonna be a tough ask,” But maybe they’re just playing games. After Elliott made weight easily, Shore said: “I appreciate your concern but this is the easiest 28lb we’ve ever cut. We didn’t even need the full 2 hours.”

Elliott is excited about his UFC debut on Saturday. He said, “There’s a weight lifted off my shoulders, that I’m finally fighting where I belong,” The 26 year old fighter made his professional debut five years ago and has been enjoying every training session in preparation for this fight.

His impressive performance on Dana White’s Contender Series last year earned him a UFC contract. Speaking about his upcoming opponent Woodburn, Elliott said, “He’s a tough man and he’s going to try to beat the brakes off me,”

Despite acknowledging Woodburn’s strong record, Elliott remains confident. He said, “[He has] only ever lost once, so I’ve got nothing but good things to say about him. But it’s on and he’s going to have to do something special to stop me now, 100%. The last guy I fought was 16-4, walking around with a world title, and I didn’t give a monkey’s, so whatever.”