Welsh fighter Oban Elliott pulls out of UFC Perth bout due to illness

Elliott was due to take on Aussie home favourite Jonathan Micallef

Oban Elliott has pulled out of his fight this weekend with illness (Getty Images)

Welsh fighter Oban Elliott has pulled out of his welterweight bout at UFC Perth this weekend due to illness.

Elliott was due to take on home favourite Jonathan Micallef in front of a partisan Aussie crowd - a bout that would have taken place on Sunday morning, with the prelims beginning at 7am local time.

However, the 27-year-old has been forced to withdraw from the fight due to an unspecified illness.

"Due to illness, Oban Elliott has been removed from his welterweight bout with Jonathan Micallef,” the UFC confirmed on its website.

Elliott enjoyed a perfect start to his UFC career - winning all three of his first three fights - but was tasked with overcoming adversity after being dealt his first defeat in the company in June.

He was looking to bounce back with immediate effect in Perth, but has seen his comeback derailed by sickness.

“He’s just going to pay for my frustrations, of course I'm ready to play the villain,” Elliott told The Independent this week before the fight was called off.

“The Welsh Gangster” has 12 wins and three losses from his 15 professional bouts, while Australian Micallef boasts an 8-1 professional record and is currently on a three-fight win streak.

The bout at the RAC Arena was to to be on the prelims of a card headed by light-heavyweight contenders Carlos Ulberg and Dominick Reyes.