The featured preliminary card bout at UFC Baku on Saturday found South Korea’s Seokhyeon Ko facing Oban Elliott in a welterweight fight.
Ko was making his promotional debut in the bout, while Elliott, known as “The Welsh Gangster,” had put together a 3-0 run inside the octagon to start his UFC career.
The fight opened with Elliott throwing a high kick as Ko pressed forward. Though the kick missed, Elliott followed up with a right hand that led into a brief clinch exchange. Nothing significant came from the tie-up, and Ko resumed pressing the action. Despite his aggression, Ko was missing wildly with his strikes, which allowed Elliott to duck under a punch and initiate another clinch. This time, Ko used a pair of hip throws to reverse position, ending up in top control. Elliott eventually worked his way back to his feet but absorbed a few clean shots during the process. With about a minute remaining, Elliott appeared a bit deflated but managed to control Ko against the fence for the remainder of the round.
Round two began with Ko throwing a spinning elbow that missed by a wide margin. Despite his inaccuracy, Ko was the more active fighter, consistently pressuring and out-throwing Elliott. When Elliott shot for a single leg, Ko impressively sprawled and reversed into top position. He draped over Elliott’s back, landing heavy shots to the side of the head. Elliott managed to stand, but Ko dragged him back down and began working from half guard, landing short punches and elbows. Elliott recovered full guard but gave up his back in the process. Ko cranked on a face lock before Elliott turned back into him. It was a tough round for Elliott, as he was overwhelmed on the mat and outmuscled in the grappling exchanges.
In the final round, Elliott allowed Ko to press him against the fence. While he secured double underhooks in the clinch, it opened the door for Ko to launch him to the mat once again. Elliott found himself in the same compromising position as round two, this time bleeding from a cut above his left eye caused by an elbow. Ko advanced to side control, but Elliott scrambled back to his feet—only to be taken down again. Ko maintained heavy top pressure, smothering Elliott and sealing another dominant round.
Official Result: Seok-hyun Ko def. Oban Elliott via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
