Eliot Marshall: UFC Light-Heavyweight Sits Down for an Exclusive Interview

Back in the Octagon and ready to make an impact on the biggest stage in the sport, Eliot "The Fire" Marshall, come March 19th, will be looking to prove to everyone in mixed martial arts that he belongs in the UFC.

As a contestant on "The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir," Marshall, following a first-round submission victory over Shane Primm, advanced to the semifinal round of the tournament before dropping a unanimous decision loss to eventual season-winner, and current UFC light-heavyweight contender Ryan Bader.

After his run in the "TUF house," Marshall went on to rack up three consecutive victories over Jules Bruchez, Vinicius Magalhaes and Jason Brilz in the UFC before dropping a split-decision loss at the hands of Vladimir Mayushenko at UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones.

Following his loss to “The Janitor” last March, Marshall, to the dismay of many, was released by the UFC.

Since his departure from the Octagon, Marshall has racked up three consecutive wins, including a first-round submission victory over Chris McNally in late 2010, and has since been re-signed by the UFC.

Currently, Marshall is slated to take on Luiz Cane at UFC 128 on March 19^th in Newark, New Jersey.

I recently sat down with Eliot Marshall for an exclusive interview.

First of all, how does it feel to be back in the UFC?

I’m excited, you know? I’ve said it in a bunch of interviews; do you want to play in the NFL or the CFL? And I think everyone wants to play in the NFL.

Were you at all surprised when you were released by the UFC?

Sure. I lost one time, I had three wins. I beat a guy that was 19-1. I was surprised, but they’re the bosses. They can do whatever they want and we signed up for it, so that’s how it goes.

Do you think, in the long run, being released by the UFC will be a good thing for your career?

I think so.  I’m much more calm about things, now. The worst possible thing has already happened to me. I’ve already fought in the UFC, lost one time and they cut me after that fight, so I know what that feels like. That’s the worst nightmare, that they release you, right? Well, okay, they just released me.

How much better do you think you are now than when you were last in the UFC?

Man, my skills are better, my mind is better.  Everything’s better. I’m just ready to go out and have some fun, show my skills and show everybody that they brought me back for a reason.

How are you feeling going into your bout against Luiz Cane?

I feel like a million bucks, man. I feel like I don’t have any pressure.  I’m just going to go have some fun and get after it.

What problems does Luiz pose to you?

His striking is good.  He hits hard. Problems are meant to be solved.

Do you have a predication as to how it’s going to end?

Nope. Someone is going to win decisively.

With a win over Luiz, where do you see yourself in the UFC’s light-heavyweight division?

I don’t care, man. I don’t think about that kind of stuff. I just want to fight. They can give me whoever they want next. I just want to keep on fighting and keep having fun.

What inspired you to get involved with mixed martial arts?

I started doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and I was doing really well with that. I always said that I wanted to fight and one day I was taking a shower and my wife says, “Hey, are you going to fight? Or are you just going to keep doing Jiu-Jitsu tournaments?” So, I was like, “Well, you know, let’s fight.” So I called a promoter, got a fight and there it was.

Did you ever believe that you would be this successful as a mixed martial artist?

Did I ever believe? Yeah, for sure. I always wanted to fight in the UFC and now I’m going on my fifth fight, so I’m stoked.

What do you think you would be doing if you weren’t a professional mixed martial artist?

The same thing I’m going to be doing after I’m done with mixed martial arts, I’m going to teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I love Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, it’s my favourite thing outside my family.

Could you tell me a bit about your experience with Nemesis FC in the Dominican Republic?

It sucked. I didn’t get paid. No one got paid.

What happened exactly?

We went down there, from the weigh-ins to everything, it was just an absolute mess. I had four opponent changes, and then we show up at the arena and there’s 30 or 40 people in the arena. What are you going to do?

Have you ever been stiffed like that before?

No. That was the first.

Did you have to pay for your flights?

No, all of that stuff was paid for.

Aside from all of that, how was your trip?

All in all, I submitted the guy in two minutes and got back into the UFC after that

Why do you fight, Eliot?

One, it's a very personal thing.  You find out a lot about yourself with fighting. Two, I fight because [for] the next generation that is coming up.  If you don’t go and experience it, [and] you don’t feel what it’s like and learn in there in the fire, then it’s harder to tell them how to deal with the fire.

What goes through your mind in the weeks leading up to a fight?

I’m excited. I just want March 19th to get here. I can’t wait ‘til my walkout music comes on, and it’s time to walk down to that cage.

What are your goals in the sport?

Have fun, that’s all I’m trying to do right now. [I'm] trying to ride this wave as long as it lasts.

Is MMA more of a passion for you than a job?

Now it is. I don’t feel that there’s a lot of pressure. I just feel ready to go.

Have you thought about how much longer you’d like to compete?

As long as I’m in the UFC, that’s as long as I’m going to fight.

How far do you think you can go in the UFC?

I think that I can be a champion. Hard-work, dedication, and believing in yourself.

Is there anything that you’d like to say to your fans while you have this opportunity?

I want to say thank you to everyone that’s stuck by me.  All the fans, my family, my training team, my coaches.  I can’t thank them enough. My management at Alchemist, they didn’t have to take me on, they didn’t have any fighters at the time not in the UFC, and they decided that they would work with me. So, I’m grateful.