Tim Elliott believes he knows how flyweights can get mixed martial arts (MMA) fans excited for their bouts.
Much has been made about Demetrious Johnson’s spat with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Johnson is regarded as the pound-for-pound best fighter in MMA, but claims the UFC doesn’t market him properly and use bullying tactics against him.
Some feel for “Mighty Mouse” while others believe he doesn’t draw enough to make complaints. Elliott offered up his own views to MMAJunkie.com:
“My record is not that great – excitement is all I have. And I think that’s what the fans want to see. The only way the 125-ers are going to stay relevant is they go out there and they put their nuts on the line. And I feel like I do that. And I feel like, you know, Demetrious Johnson does do that some, but he’s also a little bit reserved. He doesn’t fight with the same passion that some guys – I say some guys – like I do.”
While Elliott won’t deny that Johnson is a technical wizard, he doesn’t believe the champion brings much excitement to the division.
“He’s good. He’s technically good. But people want to see more than that. You’ve got to put something special out there if you want to get paid as something special. I hope things go well for him. I hope they don’t shut the division down. But it’s not going to hurt my feelings none if they do it. That’s just the way it goes.”
