Trust the process: Evan Elder's patience and persistence have paid off during UFC run

USA Today

13-05-2025

Sometimes, it's hard to patient. But good things come to those who wait.
Evan Elder has been on the UFC roster for three years. He's fought five times. While there was a bumpy entrance and an 0-2 start, Elder (10-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has come into his own with three straight wins since.
"I think more than anything, it was just sticking to the process," Elder recently told MMA Junkie. "It's not that I changed anything drastically. I'd say experience, getting more comfortable, getting more reps, dealing with the nerves, being able to lock in on the weight cut and everything else. I think more so than anything it's experience and staying consistent, sticking to the plan. I didn't freak out whenever things didn't go right and try to totally shake things up, other than move to Vegas. I continued to stick to what I believe was working and what I believe would give me the results that I wanted and I stayed true to that. Even whenever I fell short, I knew if I stuck to those principles that I thought would eventually give me success, they would. That is working. I'm just continuing to stick to them and evolve and keep progressing."
Elder, 28, has competed in MMA since he was 18 years old in 2015. He turned professional in 2018. His journey has taken him across the country to Florida, when he trained under Henri Hooft at what was then called Hard Knocks 365. It then returned him home where he trained with James Krause. Now, Elder finds himself out in Las Vegas, training at the UFC Performance Institute with a small contingency of partners.
"I started working with Joe Schilling," Elder said. "He's helped my striking a ton. I've only been working with him for a month but we made a lot of ground in that month. I'm really excited to keep working with him."
Elder is less than three weeks removed from a UFC on ESPN 66 victory over Gauge Young, a fighter he trained with in the past. The event took place in Elder's home state of Missouri, which made the experience a special one.
"Every time I win, it's nothing crazy. It's more of a relief," Elder said. "It's like, 'Well, that's what was supposed to happen. It's not a big celebratory thing. It's like, 'Awesome. I'm glad it worked.' Because it's the work I'm putting in. It's the results I'm expecting. I'm happy. I'm really happy with the win. But honestly, I'm excited to heal up and get back to work. I've got a lot to improve on."
What the future has in store for him, Elder does not know. He'll sit by the phone and wait to hear from UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby through his manager Jason House. He hopes the call comes sooner rather than later – but is willing to exercise patience once again, if needed.
"I try to stay ready all the time," Elder said. "The only thing that prevents me from being able to fight quickly or on short notice is my weight. I feel like I'm a pretty big 155er. I have to cut a pretty excessive amount of weight. I'm going to work on keeping my weight down and just be ready to fight within a few weeks' notice or whatever. I've really just been ready to fight all the time. ... I'd love to fight two more times this year for sure. Maybe an August timeframe and then one more before the end of the year. That would be ideal for me to have a pretty active year.
"... But until then, I'm going to be in the gym and keep getting better. My goal is that every time I step in the cage, I want people to be like, 'Wow, that dude looks like a whole new fighter. He's evolved so much,' every time I get in the cage. The longer they give me between fights, the worse I think it's going to be for whoever I fight next and the bigger evolution you're going to see in my game."
"I'll tell you what. One of the coolest parts for sure was the walkout. I was so locked in for the walkout. I was in the zone, ready to fight. I just am in in the middle of me being dialed in and I just start seeing people that I know, close enough I could give high-fives and stuff. That sh*t hyped me up so much. That was definitely one of the coolest parts of the whole fight was getting to see some of my people on the way out."