“I was always in charge of my own camp until Robert Follis came around, and then when he passed away, I was back in charge of my own camp and, let’s be honest, I shouldn’t be in charge of anything,” he said.
So with a three-fight losing streak and two weeks to go before a pivotal bout against Ryan Benoit in July 2020, Elliott decided to go back to Krause and the Glory MMA squad in Lee’s Summit. Krause welcomed Elliott, with one condition.
“James told me you just can’t come out here and do your camp,” Elliott said. “If you’re gonna come out here, you need to move out here and be here full-time.”
Krause’s reasoning was simple.
UFC 259 EMBEDDED: Episode One | Episode 2 | Episode 3
“Certain guys come out just for camps and James isn’t allowing that anymore,” said Elliott. “I didn’t really understand that. I said, we gotta let these good guys come out for camps. And James said, ‘Look man, it’s not fair. They come in and use you guys for training partners and then they go home. But what happens whenever you’ve got a fight? They’re not here for you, you’re only here for them. I’m not doing that no more. You’re either part of the team or you’re against the team.’ I didn’t understand that at first, but it’s a culture here. James expects you to be here for the guys like the guys are here for you, and if you can’t do that, then you’re not on the team. And I like that, and I need that, and I crave that. I need somebody that wants to be here to help me get better and that makes me want to be there to help them get better, and we just build off each other. It’s a totally different atmosphere and it’s a totally different culture and James is trying to build something here.”
The proof is in a team that has a host of top-level contenders, veterans and prospects already competing in the UFC, and when one fighter wins, they all win, and when one fighter loses, they all lose and they’re all there for each other. That’s the way to build a cohesive unit that gives the support necessary to navigate the ups and downs of the sport, and for Elliott, it’s also an opportunity to give himself the best possible chance to get his hand raised when he steps into the Octagon.
