Elliott 'more dangerous' on return after first UFC loss

Welsh fighter Oban Elliott says he is out for revenge as he prepares to step back into the octagon following his first UFC defeat.

The 27-year-old aims to return to winning ways when he faces Australian welterweight Jonathan Micallef (8-1) on Saturday, 27 September in Perth.

Elliott, known as the 'Welsh Gangster', was beaten by South Korea's Seokhyeon Ko in Azerbaijan in June, a result that ended his perfect UFC start.

"My last fight didn't go my way, but I'm back [after] licking my wounds. I'm stronger and wiser," he said.

"That makes me, in my opinion, a lot more dangerous this time around.

"I am out for revenge. I am... imagine someone's just stolen everything out of my house. I will turn the earth upside down to beat Micallef in Perth."

In the build-up to the bout, Elliott has been training with Ireland's Ian Machado Garry, who is currently ranked sixth in the UFC welterweight division.

The pair came through the Cage Warriors ranks together and have reunited on the sport's biggest stage.

"It's like being at school together and then you end up in the same university," said the Merthyr Tydfil native.

"We were in Cage Warriors together - the same age. We were friends then and we kept in touch the whole time and now we finally got to train together this year."

Micallef earned his place in the UFC via Dana White's Contender Series and made an immediate impact with an impressive win over Kevin Jousset.

Elliott, who has won three and lost one of his four UFC bouts, also graduated from the Contender Series and understands the level of danger such fighters present.

"I know how scary that Contender Series is, so anyone who comes through that I know is a formidable threat," he added.

Despite the pressures of fighting away from home, Elliott is relishing the prospect of taking on Micallef in his homeland.

"I'm flying all the way to Perth. I'm not going there to lose," he said.