KEY POINTS

  • Tim Elliot defeated Jordan Espinosa in a flyweight bout at UFC 259
  • In the middle of the fight, Elliot asked Espinosa if he was a 'woman-beater'
  • Espinosa's management team has called Elliot's actions 'reckless slander' 

While most fighters do their trash-talking before the fight, some opt to do it right in the middle of the fight itself.

Reigning UFC lightweight champion Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov is one of the best at talking trash inside the Octagon as likes to mess with his opponents and talk to them while he’s beating them down.

Usually, Nurmagomedov’s in-cage discourse is just part of his taunting and none of that is personal.

At UFC 259, however, flyweight contender Tim Elliot took a mid-fight trash talk to a whole new level.

During their main preliminary-card bout, Elliot was caught on camera having quite a personal discussion with his opponent Jordan Espinosa.

“Heard you choked your girl in 2018. You a woman-beater?” Elliot asked Espinosa, while smothering him on the ground.

“Did she? Well, you don’t know the whole story,” Espinosa responded as the round ended.

Elliot went on to win the fight by unanimous decision.

Tim Elliot
Tim Elliot Getty Images/UFC.com

During the post-fight press conference, Elliot explained his actions, saying that he didn’t mean for that to be picked up by the microphones.

“I didn’t say that for anyone else to hear because I don’t know the whole story...it wasn’t something I wanted the whole world to hear, that was supposed to be between him and me. I didn’t know the mic was going to pick up on it, but it was kind of disturbing, the whole thing," Elliot said.

Espinosa’s manager, Bryan Hamper, issued a statement on the matter via MMA Junkie.

“We will not be commenting on Tim Elliott’s accusations. It is extremely unfortunate that an athlete who has no information of the situation is given a platform to recklessly slander another athlete with no credible information other than a (Facebook) message. It sets a dangerous precedent allowing this type of behavior to make headlines. Words matter.”

The UFC, and the sport of MMA in general, has had a long history of athletes being involved in domestic violence. Some of the most notable instances are that of former UFC featherweight contender Josh Grispi, former The Ultimate Fighter veteran Jon “War Machine” Koppenhaver, and former UFC light heavyweight Thiago Silva.

UFC heavyweight Greg Hardy was also put on the hot seat prior to his UFC debut due to his troubled past.

RELATED STORIES