Gregg Ellis eager to prove his worth in CFFC 119 title fight: 'I didn't come this far just to come this far'

For a while, Gregg Ellis was making the whole mixed martial arts thing look awfully easy.

The Jamaican-born prospect moved to the U.S. at 12, then decided to take up fighting when he was 19 rather than pursue a potential career in the military.

"After high school, I decided it was either pretty much the Army or fighting, so I decided to get punched before I get shot at," Ellis quipped. "I fell in love with it since day one."

Ellis initially tried kickboxing but later turned his attention to MMA. He launched his amateur career in 2015 and went unbeaten through eight contests. In 2017, he turned pro and quickly worked to 4-0, seemingly destined for a big-show opportunity.

Then disaster struck.

A decision loss to "The Ultimate Fighter 21" cast member and three-time UFC veteran Mike Graves kicked off a run of four consecutive setbacks for Ellis, dropping him to a rather pedestrian 4-4 record.

Ellis was undeterred, but those around him started to have questions. He was now a father of two, bringing an entirely new set of responsibilities. Professional fighting takes a tremendous amounts of dedication, but the results weren't evident in his record.

"Honestly, it never crossed my mind that I should quit fighting," Ellis said. "Everybody else thought I should. My mom – you know how that goes – mom, wife, like, 'OK, that's four in a row. You can't just keep sacrificing everything we have, and you're young enough to start a new career,' but I always knew in the back of my head, like, that's not it. I didn't come this far just to come this far. 

"At the end of the day, since I got started and I put myself in it, I knew I was going to make something out of this, so during that four-fight losing streak, it was hard. Anxiety, depression. I went through every emotion, but behind that I just knew. I knew something would come of it, so I just stuck with it."

Ellis relocated to Las Vegas to work with the famed crew at Xtreme Couture. He decided on a change in divisions, as well, moving up to 185 pounds after opening his career as a welterweight. He also became stronger in his faith, which helped him to realize that his setbacks were all part of a bigger plan.

The commitment paid dividends, and Ellis has since rattled off three straight wins.

"For me, I feel like that was the time that my God used to make sure my character matched the goal that he had for me," Ellis said. "I grew through it a lot. I ended up switching camps, going to Xtreme Couture and really understanding what it means to be a professional fighter – the grind it takes, the mindset, the will it takes.

"During that time, I had two kids, got married, got closer to God – way closer to God – and his word brought me through that season. It was a tough season, man. After being used to winning so much and dropping four in a row, some people asked me, like, 'What kept you going?' Being that I relocated to Vegas, I had no friends, no coach, nobody to say, 'Hey, get up and go to the gym,' so there had to be more self-motivating and just the word of God that got me through it, man."

Ellis recently relocated to Georgia, where he trains at PTC Combat Fitness. He also works with brothers Douglas Lima and Dhiego Lima at their American Top Team affiliate, Team Lima MMA.

"I get good work in, and I make sure I travel and go wherever I need to go to get the right work in, because now, after going at that level at Xtreme Couture, I no longer want to be the best guy in the room," Ellis said. "I try to make sure I'm learning from these legends, so to speak."

That dedication has earned Ellis (7-4) a huge opportunity at Thursday's CFFC 119, where he'll challenge reigning middleweight champion Donovan Beard (7-2) for the 185-pound title in the night's main event, which streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS from Florida's Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa.

For Ellis, it's an opportunity to show the world how far he has evolved but also to prove to himself the sacrifices along the way have all been worth the effort. There's still room to improve, of course, but Ellis feels he's on the proper path.

"I'm definitely still learning, and I feel like I'll be doing that pretty much the rest of my career," Ellis said. "At the same time, I know in my heart that I'm ready for the big shows, and I'm going to use this performance not to prove to anybody else, but to prove to myself, and to separate myself from everybody else. 

"I've been winning these last three. I've got two stoppages and one dominant decision, but I don't feel like I performed. This fight, I'm going to bring out the best performance I have to date, and I think that'll speak for itself. But like I said, it's just to prove to me, and everybody else will definitely see. They won't have to ask, 'Are you ready?' anymore. They'll definitely see."