Oban Elliott scored the most high-profile win of his young career earlier tonight (Sat., Nov. 16, 2024) at UFC 309 LIVE on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Madison Square Garden in New York City, stopping fellow welterweight Bassil Hafez with a third-round knockout (punches).
This wasn’t the most exciting fight from the opening bell, but that’s because Elliott wanted to defend smartly and do what he can to avoid the power shots from Hafez. Elliott was very successful in the early going to subdue Hafez and slow him down with leg kicks. It just wasn’t an all-out brawl the New York fight fans were hoping for.
The “Prelims” fight carried over into the third round and it looked like it was going to go the distance. However, Elliott came out of nowhere and clipped Hafez with a perfectly-timed right hand. It connected flush and sent Hafez crashing to the canvas. A few ground-and-pound shots from Elliott actually woke Hafez back up, but the referee eventually stepped in for the stoppage.
Check out the video highlights below:
A DEVASTATING RIGHT HAND FROM OBAN ELLIOTT #UFC309 pic.twitter.com/lEITNsBet7
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 17, 2024
Elliott, 26, is now 3-0 since entering the promotion back in February. “The Welsh Gangster” hasn’t delivered a knockout finish since 2021, but this could be the start of a nice run for the up-and-coming prospect at 170 pounds. Hafez wasn’t anything too special coming into this fight, but he did narrowly lose a split decision to top welterweight Jack Della Maddalena last year. In other words, this was a very nice win for Elliott.
For complete UFC 309 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.