ONE Championship

One of heavyweight MMA’s most feared men is about to headline in Bangkok. Back home in England, though, the pecking order has always belonged to the animals.

Paul Elliott faces undefeated Turkish contender Shamil Erdogan in the heavyweight MMA main event of ONE Fight Night 48 on Prime Video, broadcasting live in U.S. primetime from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, October 2.

The 34-year-old grew up in his parents’ house in Middlesbrough, England, where cats came first and dogs followed in his teenage years, eventually leaving him convinced he had been swapped for a wagging tail. Much of the pack traced back to his mother, who volunteered at rescue kennels and routinely took home the dogs nobody else adopted.

“I’m definitely a dog fan. But the thing is, I’m not just a dog guy. I genuinely like all animals. When I was younger, growing up, we had cats. Then, when I was a teenager, we got our first dog, and from there, more have joined the pack,” Elliott said.

“As I moved out, over the years, I think what has happened is my parents have replaced us with dogs. I think that’s what it was.”

Inside Paul Elliott’s crowded Middlesbrough household

At its busiest, the Elliott home held five dogs and two cats, with a pair of goldfish making an appearance along the way. The current trio of Millie, Ava, and Bella follows an earlier generation of Gracie, Brooke, Asher, and Casper.

A beach sat just a short drive away, and most days the dogs piled into the car to burn off their morning energy along the coastline.

“When I was in my twenties, we had five dogs, and as time went on, we had a couple pass away. But we had cats as well. So, we had five dogs and two cats. It was a bit of a zoo experience at my parents’ house,” Elliott said.

“But it really wasn’t too much of an issue. We had our own rooms, and the dogs and cats stayed downstairs. They weren’t allowed upstairs, so it was fine.”

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