Injuries and visa issues have delayed Cameron Else from getting his first UFC win, but the former paratrooper will finally get that opportunity this weekend.
Else made his UFC debut on seven days notice in 2020 against top prospect Kyler Philips, but lost the fight by stoppage. After an injury prevented him from fighting last year, Else fights Aoriqileng on the preliminary card of UFC Vegas 52 on Saturday night.
It's been a turbulent journey for the Margate-based Else since he was medically discharged from the army over a decade ago. 'Camchida' told Mirror Fighting about his days as a paratrooper and how MMA saved him from a troubled lifestyle.
"As I come out the army, I got into MMA." he said. "I served for four and a half years, but I actually started at 16. Army time all in all, I did about seven years. When I got back from Afghanistan, I got an injury in my ears and I was deaf. So I wasn't able to be in a normal platoon and wasn't allowed around weapons.
Can Cameron Else pick up his first UFC win this Saturday? Let us know in the comments section below
"I was drinking a lot when I got out the army, I got into a bit of trouble fighting and then my best friend offered me to come do MMA. I was also known in the paratroopers as a tough lad, but when i went to my first jiu-jitsu session and got my a*** kicked, I realised I didn't know how to fight."
Else moved out to New Mexico and has learned from UFC legend such as Jon Jones, Donald Cerrone and Carlos Condit during his time at the JacksonWink MMA gym. In a breakout year for UK MMA, Else feels like he has been wrote off by some fans and vows to silence his critics against Aoriqileng.
"I feel like the whole UK MMA scene has basically wrote me off for some reason," he added. "I don't really get it. My whole life no one's really believed, I don't give a f*** who doesn't believe in me, it's only me that matters.
"I'm always coming for the finish, this is how I see it. If someone was going to give me $100,000 and tell me to bet on myself to win, I'd go first round finish. I'd be an idiot not to because all my wins are first round finishes!"
Watch Cameron Else take on Aoriqileng at UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs Andrade on Saturday April 23, live on BT Sport 1. Coverage starts from midnight, with prelims on UFC Fight Pass starting at 11pm.
