ONE Super Series Alumnus Eyes ONE Championship Return To Compete In MMA

Australia’s Elliot Compton is on his way to making his debut in the mixed martial arts (MMA) circuit with Beatdown Promotions after a lifetime of fighting in both Muay Thai and kickboxing.

International Business Times sports editor and combat sports analyst Nissi Icasiano had a chance to catch up with “The Dragon” as he begins his foray into MMA.

“I’m super excited,” Compton told Icasiano about the change in trajectory.

“For me to finally be stepping into that cage in an MMA ruleset, it’s got me super fired up. I feel like I’m born again to a degree. I feel like I’ve completely reinvented myself already.”

While many would be wondering why a prolific 33-year-old kickboxer would make the move to MMA now that he is nearing the wrong side of 30, Compton revealed that his love for Muay Thai only came about when he had a fight in Thailand.

“When I first started fighting, my goal was to never be a Muay Thai fighter or be a kickboxer. But I was training in Thailand and I had a Muay Thai fight when I was there. I fell in love with the culture and the history and everything that was Thai boxing,” Compton reminisced.

Compton then explained how Muay Thai and kickboxing helped him become an even more well-rounded fighter, but he also mentioned that he has always been training in other disciplines since he was a kid.

However, Compton later divulged to Icasiano that MMA has always been his first love and that now was the time to make the move because of how big the sport has gotten around the world.

For his maiden MMA appearance on July 9, the Australian has been slated to face Japan’s Takuya Oyama.

Compton was more than happy to talk about his matchup with Oyama, stating that it was a bout that he wanted because he does not want to take the easy road to the top of the sport.

“Shortcuts lead to disappointment and I’ve never been about it. At the end of the day, I’m coming in on my debut, he’s had close to 20 fights including his amateur record, he’s had 15 pro boxing fights and I’ve had about 60 pro-Thai boxing fights,” the Australian noted.

His last kickboxing fight saw him take on powerhouse Nieky Holzken in a losing effort, with only one win in four fights during his time with ONE Super Series–that lone win being against Matthew Semper in June 2018.

While many would take that to discredit his body of work thus far, Compton sees it as a challenge to prove himself even harder to the combat sports community.

“I make no excuses. I’ve had some great fights with ONE, some I’ve won and some I’ve lost. But I never really got to showcase who I am as a Muay Thai fighter and what I can do. I’ll take that on the chin,” he stated.

When Icasiano asked him about whether his upcoming fight with Oyama is going to be a message to ONE Championship to sign him to its MMA division, Compton said he was open to the possibility.

“We’ll see what happens. I want to win a world title from a legitimate organization in MMA just to solidify my legacy and solidify my career. We’ll see what plays out. I like to stay busy. I want to at least fight four times a year. That’s my goal, that’s my dream,” he declared.

As Compton prepares to introduce “The Dragon 2.0” in the world of MMA, he had one message to those sitting atop the food chain.

“All I’m going to say is this: to the guys at the top, be ready because you’re going to get a knock on your door pretty shortly. I’m bringing Team Compton with me. We are coming and we are going to be knocking on that door pretty hard,” he ended.