Jump to
In mid-May, former UFC title contender Tim Elliott went viral for a revelation he made on social media. In a tweet he posted, the 36-year-old veteran alleged that his now ex-wife and fellow fighter Gina Mazany had an affair during their wedding night with friend and teammate Kevin Croom.
The tweet has since been deleted, but it garnered a ton of responses within hours since it went up. And as he prepares for his upcoming fight at UFC Vegas 74 about it, Elliott is getting the chance to address the situation with the media.
UFC contender Tim Elliott reveals why he disclosed alleged affair
During this week’s media day for this weekend’s UFC event, Elliott explained in detail why he chose to go down the road that he did.
“I got a lot of support, I guess, you could say. I’m not happy or sad about it. I just felt like it was something that I needed to do. And again, it wasn’t to take a stab at anybody, it was more for my own personal issues, I guess,” he told the media.
“It helped at the time of finding out, and when I first left for Texas, I was, like, walking around at 128 pounds. I couldn’t finish a practice without being injured. I was just frail.
“(Now) my weight’s back up, my spirits are back up. I’m able to actually be a good training partner and a teammate for my team, which is important to me.”
Elliott says there were a lot of misconceptions regarding what happened. But after growing tired of hiding his side of the story to protect Mazany, he decided to speak up.
“Every interview, they were asking me, ‘How’s Gina? How are you guys doing?’ I was lying and making up excuses to protect these guys. And every time I did that, it was hurting me. After it got out there, nobody was asking me anymore,” he explained.
“I was getting (questions) like, ‘Are you gonna corner Kevin Croom in his next bare-knuckle fight?’ I had to be like, ‘Oh no, we’re not really cool anymore.’ Or ‘No, Gina and I aren’t really together anymore.’ They would ask why, and I was searching to make up excuses and lying for them to protect them. At the same time, that was hurting myself.”
Another make or break moment for Elliott was his relationship with his daughter, which he felt was also getting affected.
“I was shelling up. I wasn’t able to be a good dad. I felt like not a great person before I felt like (I’m) not a great fighter before. But I’ve never not felt like a great dad. That something that I had to change. I had to change for myself and I had to change for my daughter.
“After releasing it and getting a bunch of support — which I don’t know if that’s what helps or just getting it off my chest — but, I’m good. I’m feeling like I’m back to my normal self again.
“It was one of those things where I was either gonna end up hurt or hurting somebody else or getting in trouble. So I was just lucky enough to be able to have a spot to go in Texas. It kind of saved my ass, really.”
Tim Elliott’s UFC run
With his current record at 18-12-1, Elliott is looking to build another win streak. He last saw action at UFC 272 over a year ago against Russia’s Tagir Ulanbekov, whom he defeated via unanimous decision.
For Saturday’s event, Elliott is matched up against Victor Altamirano. The card is headlined by former interim flyweight title challenger and number three-ranked contender Kai Kara-France, who faces number seven-ranked Amir Albazi.
About the author
