UFC 259 video: Tim Elliott calls Jordan Espinosa a ‘woman beater’; team Espinosa cries ‘slander’

UFC flyweight Tim Elliott isn’t really known for fighting with animosity. But during his UFC 259 prelim bout against Jordan Espinosa, things became a bit more personal.

In the short clip below, you’ll hear Elliott uttering some strong words as he smothers Espinosa’s face with his forearm.

Elliott: You choked a girl in 2018. You’re a woman beater. You’re a f—ng woman beater. She messaged me.

Espinosa: It’s better to know the whole story.

Elliott: I know enough.

Espinosa: You don’t know shit.

During his post-fight scrum, Elliott gave a little background from his end, explaining why he said what he said.

“I didn’t say that for anybody else to hear because I don’t know the whole story,” Elliott admitted. “I was messaged on Facebook by a… I don’t want to name any names but a long message with some pictures and some Snapchat back-and-forth between Jordan Espinosa and another girl. Picture of her with choke marks on her neck.

“Again, 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 I. I didn’t know the mic was gonna pick up on it. But it was kinda disturbing, the whole thing. I have a daughter.

“This was the only fight that I’ve had out of all my fights that was personal. It was hard for me to maintain my cool, it was hard for me to keep my cardio in check because of it.

“It’s not something I’m proud of to say that everybody could hear. But again, I’m glad that it’s out there.”

Espinosa’s manager Bryan Hamper later sent a statement to MMA Junkie to denounce Elliott’s remarks.

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 precedence allowing this type of behavior to make headlines. Words matter.

As for the lengthy Facebook post in question, a screenshot (h/t Fansided MMA’s Amy Kaplan) has been making the rounds on social media. (Disclaimer: the link includes descriptions of domestic violence).

In the post, a person claiming to be the alleged victim recalled an incident with Espinosa, who she described as a close friend at the time, that she claims ended with the UFC fighter choking her unconscious. This appears to have been the trigger for Elliott’s anger inside the Octagon.

Elliott won the UFC 259 bout via unanimous decision, putting him on back-to-back victories after a 3-fight losing skid to Deiveson Figueiredo, Askar Askarov, and Brandon Royval. For Espinosa, the defeat marked his second straight, after a unanimous decision loss to David Dvorak back in September of last year.