Perspective is the only thing that matters to Jake Ellenberger.

For a three-year span, the Omaha native hovered as a perennial title threat in the welterweight division. During his run, Ellenberger folded up a list of legitimate competition in punishing fashion, twice finding himself within striking distance of a championship opportunity.

Nevertheless, Ellenberger would stumble at crucial moments, and those setbacks would eventually give way to a downturn that put his entire career in jeopardy.  

Following a loss to Tarec Saffiedine at UFC on Fox 18 back in January, his fifth in six appearances, Ellenberger received a call from UFC President Dana White informing him of his release.

And in that moment where his livelihood hung in the balance, Ellenberger fought for his place on the UFC roster.

"It was 10 weeks after the Saffiedine fight, and we thought no news was good news," Ellenberger said. "I felt I was in the clear, but then the phone call came. I'm fortunate enough to have a relationship with Dana where he'll talk to me one-on-one. We had a discussion and he gave me one more shot. People carry different opinions about Dana, but he's always been fair to me. He knows I've paid my dues, put in the work and stepped up when the company needed me to. I believe that had a lot to do with why he gave me the opportunity.

"It was also a matter of timing because he called me before anything had been announced so no one knew the position I was standing in," he added. "It was all or nothing going into that fight, and I wasn't going there to lose."



While Ellenberger was grateful for the chance to literally fight for his career, he also knew he had a tough task ahead of him in Matt Brown. Much like his own trajectory, the Ohio native had battled and bashed his way to a spot among the divisional elite at 170, and due to a rough turn of fortune was also on the brink of losing that status.

Yet, where Brown simply needed a win to get back on track, the stakes Ellenberger faced heading into UFC 201 were much higher. Brown was adamant he would put the finishing touches on Ellenberger's time in the UFC, but the former Marine refused to be outdone in Atlanta.

"There were little things I picked up from him in the lead up to the fight that furthered my confidence," Ellenberger said. "He was definitely giving me respect, but then he'd say something in an interview that would go the opposite direction. It's funny because what you say and how you act are two different things, and that's fairly common in the fight game. A lot of fighters will say certain things, but then behave in a totally different way than how they were talking.

"I definitely sensed some anxiety on his part, but I don't really pay attention to those things. I knew I was capable and in a do-or-die position. I was not leaving without having my hand raised, and I was all in. Just like a game of poker...I was all in."

Once the fight got underway, it didn't take long for Ellenberger to make his presence known as he landed a thunderous right hand that sent Brown halfway across the Octagon. Ellenberger swarmed in an attempt to capitalize, but the ever-resilient Brown weathered the storm and went on the offensive.

Brown landed several clean shots that pushed Ellenberger backwards, and it seemed as if the collapse that turned fights with Martin Kampmann and Stephen Thompson was coming back to haunt him once more.

Yet, just when it appeared the tides of the fight had turned, Ellenberger found his timing at the most crucial of moments. He landed a perfectly placed body kick that crumpled Brown and saved everything he'd worked a decade to build.



"It was an incredible feeling to get that victory," Ellenberger said. "I had a lot of confidence going into that fight because everything was coming together. My mind was free of turbulence and trepidation, and when I have that type of focus, I perform at my best. I've struggled at times to get things firing in sync from a mental standpoint, but everything was flowing smoothly in the lead up to fighting Matt Brown.

"It's actually kind of funny how that entrepreneurial mindset, an approach that has nothing to do with fighting, helped me simplify things. By keeping things structured and pragmatic, I was able to cut out a lot of things that didn't matter and keep it simple. That kept my mind clear heading into the fight and allowed me to execute at the exact moment I needed to."

Due to his success at UFC 201, Ellenberger earned a new lease on his time inside the Octagon. And while his career as a professional fighter is far from finished, life outside of competition has expanded on a much larger scale for the welterweight staple.

With the birth of his son and exploring numerous opportunities in the world of business and investments, Ellenberger finds inspiration and motivation on a daily basis. His future has never been brighter than it is right now, and his insistence to keep perspective is what has allowed him to find a balance he'd always been chasing.



"The past few years I've been getting into different business endeavors and expanding my mind in that sense has helped me gain a hyper-focus," Ellenberger said. "I'm able to lock into what I'm doing and not be pulled in a million different directions. The motivation has always been there, but I needed to dial things in.

"Becoming a father has really put things in perspective for me. I love being a dad and it's changed the way I see a lot of things. My son provides a lot of motivation, but it's more so on the daily side of things because I'm constantly reminded of what I'm fighting for and the future I get to build for my family. That's huge and means everything to me."