Elliott On His Parents Replacing Him With Dogs

Paul Elliott headlines ONE Fight Night 48 against undefeated Turkish heavyweight Shamil Erdogan in Bangkok on Friday, October 2. The 34-year-old from Middlesbrough has heavyweight power in the cage, but back home in England, the pecking order always belonged to the animals.

Elliott grew up in a house where cats arrived first and dogs followed during his teenage years, per BJPenn.com. His mother volunteered at rescue kennels and routinely brought home the dogs nobody else wanted. At its peak, the Elliott household held five dogs and two cats, plus a pair of goldfish. The current pack includes Millie, Ava, and Bella.

Five Dogs And Two Cats At Home

"I'm definitely a dog fan. But the thing is, I'm not just a dog guy. I genuinely like all animals," 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."

The dogs stayed downstairs and had their own space while the family kept their rooms upstairs. Most mornings the pack piled into the car for runs along the beach a short drive away. An earlier generation included Gracie, Brooke, Asher, and Casper before a couple passed away and the current trio took over.

Elliott called the setup a zoo experience but said it worked fine with clear boundaries. He faces Erdogan in the heavyweight MMA main event broadcasting live in U.S. primetime from Lumpinee Stadium.

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• BJPenn — Paul Elliott details favorite pastime ahead of ONE Fight Night 48