Tim Elliott
Active 2012–present · rated in 7 editions · peak overall 79.0
Scouting report
Tim Elliott won Season 24 of The Ultimate Fighter and took champion Demetrious Johnson to a five-round decision in his title shot. Hailing from Wichita, Kansas, Elliott built his game around a crouching stance and transitional wrestling, reflected in a 90 Cardio and 83 Wrestling.
Peak ratings
By edition
Elliott entered the UFC in 2012 with a decision loss to John Dodson, followed by decision wins over Jared Papazian and Louis Gaudinot at UFC 164. In late 2013, he dropped a decision to Ali Bagautinov. His movement, wrestling scrambles, and pace are reflected in an 88 Cardio and 82 Wrestling.
In 2014 and 2015, Elliott was submitted by Joseph Benavidez with a guillotine in round one at UFC 172 and lost a decision to Zach Makovsky at UFC Fight Night 60, after which the UFC released him. He then won the inaugural Titan FC flyweight title with a decision over Iliarde Santos in July 2015 and defended it twice. His chin and scrambling toughness against championship contenders are reflected in his 88 Cardio and 80 Durability through this stretch.
Elliott won The Ultimate Fighter 24 tournament in 2016, earning a shot at Demetrious Johnson and taking the champion the distance at the TUF 24 Finale in Las Vegas. In 2017, he defeated Louis Smolka by decision, was submitted by Ben Nguyen in round one, and submitted Mark De La Rosa with an anaconda choke at UFC 219. His angles, conditioning, and scramble wrestling are reflected in his 90 Cardio and 80 Fight IQ.
After ACL reconstructive surgery sidelined him through 2018, Elliott returned in October 2019 and lost to Deiveson Figueiredo by first-round guillotine choke. His wrestling pressure and striking against the future champion are reflected in an 88 Cardio and 82 Wrestling.
In 2020, Elliott lost a decision to Askar Askarov in January and was submitted by Brandon Royval in May. He then beat Ryan Benoit on a decision in July 2020 and Jordan Espinosa on a decision in March 2021, and lost to Matheus Nicolau that October. His takedown pressure and pace against ranked opponents are reflected in his 88 Cardio and 82 Wrestling.
In 2023 Elliott outpointed Victor Altamirano in June, was submitted by Muhammad Mokaev in round three at UFC 294 in October, and submitted Su Mudaerji with an arm-triangle in round one at UFC Fight Night 233 in December. His clinch scrambles, grappling reversals, and stamina are reflected in his 88 Cardio and 78 Fight IQ.
Tim Elliott, a grinder who lives on effort
Tim Elliott won the flyweight tournament on The Ultimate Fighter 24 and earned a title shot against Demetrious Johnson, who beat him on the scorecards. He is a scrappy, awkward flyweight who has built his career on pressure and relentless scrambling. He does not have the polish of the division's elite, but he makes fights ugly for anyone who wants to keep it clean.
Elliott attribute by attribute
Boxing. Functional but not sharp. He leans on volume and pressure to get through the striking phase.
Kickboxing. Basic. He throws kicks now and then, but the striking is mostly about closing distance.
Wrestling. Good. He shoots often and keeps grinding when he does not land.
BJJ. Solid. He hunts for submissions in scrambles and is dangerous from unusual positions.
Strength. His lowest area. He gets by on pressure and scrambling rather than force.
Durability. Above average. He takes damage and continues to push forward.
Cardio. The best trait. His pace is high and he stays busy through the rounds.
Fight IQ. Fair. He fights with a plan but sometimes takes damage getting there.
The engine: Cardio
Cardio is what makes him tough to fight. He keeps coming at a steady pace and turns fights into wars of attrition. He is a good draft when you want someone who wins by wearing others down and looks busier than an opponent who spent himself early.
The soft spot: Strength
Elliott has no physical edge to fall back on. A stronger flyweight can stall his scrambles, lean on him and take the sting out of his pace. Balance him with a fighter who wins the strength battle.
Keep exploring
Closest flyweight profiles to Tim Elliott, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Zach Makovskybest cardio 84 · weakest strength 71
- Ian McCallbest cardio 86 · weakest strength 72
- Dustin Ortizbest cardio 86 · weakest strength 73
- Ray Borgbest bjj 86 · weakest strength 73
- Flyweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Protecting your streak: a guide that fits Tim Elliott's strongest attribute, Cardio.
Draft Tim Elliott into your build
Tim Elliott enters the pool on any spin landing on flyweight between 2010 and present. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Tim Elliott is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Tim Elliott's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.