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Darren Elkins

American mixed martial arts fighter

Summary

American mixed martial arts fighter

Field	Value
name	Darren Elkins
other_names	The Damage
image	Darren-Elkins.jpg
image_size	200px
birth_date
birth_place	Portage, Indiana, United States
height
weight	145 lb
weight_class	Lightweight (2007–2010)
Featherweight (2011–present)
reach	71 in
stance	Orthodox
fighting_out_of	Portage, Indiana, United States
team	Duneland Vale Tudo
Team Alpha Male (2015–present)
rank	Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Chris Holdsworth
wrestling	NCAA Division II Wrestling
years_active	2007–present
mma_kowin	9
mma_subwin	6
mma_decwin	14
mma_koloss	5
mma_subloss	1
mma_decloss	6
sherdog	22094

Featherweight (2011–present) Team Alpha Male (2015–present)

Darren Elkins (born May 16, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he competes in the Featherweight division.

Background

Darren Elkins was born and raised in Portage, Indiana. He attended Portage High School and competed in wrestling, placing seventh in the state as a freshman, having qualified for the state competition as a sophomore, placing third as a junior, and became a State Champion as a senior. Elkins also won multiple freestyle wrestling state championships as a youth. Elkins continued wrestling at University of Wisconsin Parkside, but did not finish his education at the university nor earn a degree as he dropped out after two years and decided to pursue a blue collar career when his wife became pregnant with their first child.

Mixed martial arts career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Elkins made his UFC debut on the preliminary card of UFC on Versus 1, where he defeated Duane Ludwig via TKO after Ludwig suffered a serious ankle injury after being taken down by Elkins in the first round.

His next bout took place on the preliminary card of UFC on Versus 2 against Charles Oliveira. Elkins took Oliveira down early, but his opponent quickly attempted a triangle choke. Oliveira then transitioned to an armbar, which forced Elkins to submit.

Elkins was expected to face touted prospect Edson Barboza on November 20, 2010, at UFC 123, but Elkins was forced from the card with an injury and replaced by Mike Lullo.

Elkins made his featherweight debut against Michihiro Omigawa on June 11, 2011, at UFC 131. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Elkins won a unanimous decision over Zhang Tiequan on October 8, 2011, at UFC 136. After several failed guillotine attempts from Zhang, Elkins was able to dominate him from top position including at several points mounting him and pounding away with strikes.

Elkins defeated TUF 14 winner Diego Brandão on May 26, 2012, at UFC 146. Elkins utilized his top game with ground and pound to win the second and third rounds, earning him the unanimous decision victory.

Elkins fought fellow featherweight prospect Steven Siler on November 17, 2012, at UFC 154. After dominating the fight for three rounds, Elkins was awarded the unanimous decision victory, moving him to 4–0 at featherweight and 5–1 overall in the UFC.

Elkins faced Antonio Carvalho on March 16, 2013, at UFC 158. Elkins won via first-round TKO stoppage after landing strikes that rocked Carvalho followed by a knockdown, prompting the referee to intervene.

After taking virtually no damage in the fight against Carvalho, Elkins made a quick return and faced Chad Mendes on April 20, 2013, at UFC on Fox 7, replacing an injured Clay Guida. He lost the fight by 1st-round TKO.

Elkins faced Hatsu Hioki on August 28, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 27. After getting hurt by a body kick late in the first round, Elkins rallied in the last two rounds and won the fight via unanimous decision.

Elkins faced Jeremy Stephens on January 25, 2014, at UFC on Fox 10. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Elkins was briefly linked to a matchup with Tatsuya Kawajiri on September 20, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 52, but the bout never materialized as Kawajiri was sidelined indefinitely with a detached retina.

Elkins faced Lucas Martins on October 25, 2014, at UFC 179. He won the fight via split decision.

Elkins faced Hacran Dias on December 20, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 58. Fighting in Brazil for his second straight fight, he lost the fight via unanimous decision, 29-28 across the scorecards.

For a third consecutive fight, Elkins appeared on an international card where he faced Robert Whiteford on October 24, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 76. He won the fight via a dominant unanimous decision.

Elkins next faced Chas Skelly on March 5, 2016, at UFC 196. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Elkins faced Godofredo Pepey on July 23, 2016, at UFC on Fox 20. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Elkins faced Mirsad Bektić on March 4, 2017, at UFC 209. After being dominated the first two and a half rounds, Elkins rallied back in the third round and won by knockout due to punches and a head kick. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest comebacks in UFC history. He was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus.

Elkins faced Dennis Bermudez on July 22, 2017, at UFC on Fox 25. He won the back-and-forth fight via split decision.

Elkins faced Michael Johnson on January 14, 2018, at UFC Fight Night: Stephens vs. Choi. He won the fight via rear-naked choke submission in round two. The trademark "Damage" weathered a first round storm to complete the comeback and was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus.

Elkins faced Alexander Volkanovski on July 14, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 133. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Elkins faced Ricardo Lamas on November 17, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 140. He lost the fight via TKO in the third round.

Elkins faced Ryan Hall on July 13, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 155. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Elkins faced Nate Landwehr on May 16, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Harris. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Elkins faced Luiz Eduardo Garagorri on November 7, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira. He won the fight via a submission in round three.

Elkins faced Darrick Minner on July 24, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw. He won the bout via TKO. This fight earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Elkins faced Cub Swanson on December 18, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Daukaus. He lost the bout via TKO in round one.

Elkins faced Tristan Connelly on April 30, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 35. He won the bout via unanimous decision.

Elkins faced Jonathan Pearce on December 3, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 42. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Elkins faced T.J. Brown on October 14, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 230. He won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the third round.

Elkins faced Daniel Pineda on October 19, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 245. He won the fight by unanimous decision. This fight earned him his first Fight of the Night award.

Elkins faced Julian Erosa on April 12, 2025, at UFC 314. He lost the fight by technical knockout in the first round.

Championships and accomplishments

Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Daniel Pineda
- Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Mirsad Bektić, Michael Johnson and Darrick Minner
- Most bouts in UFC Featherweight division history (28)
- Second most wins in UFC Featherweight division history (18) (behind Max Holloway)
- Most decision wins in UFC Featherweight division history (12)
  - Most decision bouts in UFC Featherweight division history (18)
- Most unanimous decision wins in UFC Featherweight division history (10)
  - Tied for sixth most unanimous decision wins in UFC history (10)
- Most takedowns landed in UFC Featherweight division history (65)
- Most submission attempts in UFC Featherweight division history (25)
  - Eighth most submission attempts in UFC history (25)
- Most control time in UFC Featherweight division history (2:08:26)
- Most top position time in UFC Featherweight division history (1:39:38)
  - Sixth most top position time in UFC history (1:40:05)
- Second most total fight time in UFC Featherweight division history (5:49:09) (behind Max Holloway)
- Second most total strikes landed in UFC Featherweight division history (2621) (behind Max Holloway)
  - Fourth most total strikes landed in UFC history (2621) (behind Max Holloway)
- Fourth most significant strikes landed in UFC Featherweight division history (1190)
- UFC.com Awards
  - 2017: Ranked #5 Upset of the Year vs. Mirsad Bektić
  - 2018: Ranked #9 Submission of the Year vs. Michael Johnson
MMA Junkie
- 2017 #4 Ranked Fight of the Year vs. Mirsad Bektić at UFC 209
- 2017 Comeback of the Year vs. Mirsad Bektić at UFC 209
CBS Sports
- 2017 #2 Ranked UFC Fight of the Year vs. Mirsad Bektić at UFC 209
Combat Press
- 2017 Comeback of the Year vs. Mirsad Bektić at UFC 209
MMA Sucka
- 2017 Comeback of the Year vs. Mirsad Bektić at UFC 209

Fighting style

Elkins has an extensive wrestling background, which gives him the ability to wear his opponents down as the fight goes on. He is nicknamed “The Damage” due to his ability in taking a lot of punishment early in fights and then rallying to win, which was best showcased during his bout against Mirsad Bektić at UFC 209.

Elkins also claims to abstain from showboating and executing flashy moves during fights, stating "I’m not a great athlete — I’m a good athlete, but I’m not gonna be doing backflips or spinning kicks. But the one thing I do know is the type of fighter I am, and that’s tough, gritty, heart for days, and cardio to where I’m never gonna stop because I don’t have to stop."

Personal life

Elkins and his wife Connie have two children together.

Elkins is known for his blue collar lifestyle, throughout most of his fighting career he has also worked as a pipe fitter. In 2015 Elkins and his family decided to move out west, with Elkins believing he had already completed a decade with Local 597, which would secure retirement and insurance benefits, so they went ahead with the relocation. After spending eight months out West, he discovered that his 2006 apprenticeship year did not count toward the ten years of service. So determined to earn the benefits for his family, Elkins returned home following his win over Godofredo Pepey on July 23, 2015. After a short two-week break, he put in a long stretch of work, logging 92 days on the job out of the next 96 to reach the 900 hours required before year's end.

Mixed martial arts record

dec-losses=6
Loss
Julian Erosa
TKO (elbow and punches)
UFC 314

Fight of the Night.
Win
T.J. Brown
Submission (rear-naked choke)
UFC Fight Night: Yusuff vs. Barboza

Performance of the Night.
Win
Luiz Eduardo Garagorri
Submission (rear-naked choke)
UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira

Performance of the Night.
Win
Dennis Bermudez
Decision (split)
UFC on Fox: Weidman vs. Gastelum

Pepey was deducted one point in round 2 due to an illegal knee.
Win
Chas Skelly
Decision (unanimous)
UFC 196

Featherweight debut.
Loss
Charles Oliveira
Submission (armbar)
UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko

Won the C3 Lightweight Championship.
Win
Kenny Klein
TKO (punches)
Corral's Combat Classic: Summer Fight Fest 3

Lightweight debut.

References

"Fight Card - UFC 179 Aldo vs. Mendes 2". [[Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Matt Erickson. (2016-03-06). "Despite uprooting family for California, Portage grad Darren Elkins staying blue collar". nwitimes.com.
Thomas Gerbasi. (October 16, 2015). "Darren Elkins: The Damage Awakens". [[Ultimate Fighting Championship]].
(December 30, 2023). ""Received my black belt today from @holdsworthmma !! (...)"".
Thomas Gerbasi. (November 14, 2012). "Darren Elkins - Blue Collar Tough".
"Darren Elkins {{!}} UFC".
Doyel, Gregg. "Doyel: Meet UFC's Darren 'The Damage' Elkins of Portage, master of blood-soaked comebacks".
John Morgan. "Gunderson vs. Holst official for TUF 11 Finale, Elkins vs. Oliveira to UFC on Versus 2". MMAjunkie.
"Darren Elkins out, newcomer Mike Lullo in for UFC 123 prelims". mmajunkie.com.
Leland Roling. (2011-06-11). "UFC 131 Results: Darren Elkins defeats Michihiro Omigawa by unanimous decision". bloodyelbow.com.
Leland Roling. (2011-10-08). "UFC 136 Results: Darren Elkins out grapples Tiequan Zhang, wins decision". bloodyelbow.com.
Staff. (2012-05-27). "UFC 146 results: Battered Darren Elkins survives, upsets Diego Brandao". mmajunkie.com.
Matt Erickson. (2012-11-17). "UFC 154 results: Darren Elkins dominates Steven Siler to take unanimous decision". mmajunkie.com.
Matt Erickson. (2013-03-17). "UFC 158 results: Darren Elkins clips Antonio Carvalho, earns quick stop". mmajunkie.com.
Matt Erickson. (March 19, 2013). "Darren Elkins steps in for Clay Guida, meets Chad Mendes at UFC on FOX 7". mmajunkie.com.
Mike Chiapetta. (2013-04-20). "UFC on FOX 7 results: Chad Mendes stops Darren Elkins by TKO". mmafighting.com.
Brian Knapp. (2013-08-28). "UFC Fight Night 27 Prelims: Darren Elkins upsets Hatsu Hioki in Indianapolis". sherdog.com.
Alex Schlinsky. (2014-01-25). "UFC on FOX 10 results: Jeremy Stephens defeats Darren Elkins by Unanimous Decision". fansided.com.
Anton Tabuena. (2014-06-25). "Tatsuya Kawajiri out of UFC: Japan with detached retina". bloodyelbow.com.
Ben Fowlkes. (2014-10-25). "UFC 179 results, photos: Darren Elkins goes deep to down Lucas Martins". mmajunkie.com.
Steven Marrocco. (2014-12-20). "UFC Fight Night 58 results: Hacran Dias outwrestles Darren Elkins for decision win". mmajunkie.com.
Brent Brookhouse. (2015-10-24). "UFC Fight Night 76 results: Darren Elkins grinds out Robert Whiteford for sweep". mmajunkie.com.
Brent Brookhouse. (2016-03-05). "UFC 196 results: Darren Elkins' grinding attack too much for Chas Skelly". mmajunkie.com.
Dave Doyle. (2016-07-23). "UFC on FOX 20 results: Darren Elkins overcomes foul, beats Godofredo Pepey". mmafighting.com.
Dave Doyle. (2017-03-04). "UFC 209 results: Darren Elkins stops Mirsad Bektic in thrilling comeback". mmafighting.com.
Shaun Al-Shatti. (2017-03-08). "Darren Elkins and the impossible comeback". mmafighting.com.
Tristen Critchfield. (2017-03-05). "UFC 209 bonuses: Teymur, Vannata, Elkins, Alcantara capture $50K awards". sherdog.com.
(2017-07-23). "UFC on FOX 25 results: Darren Elkins turns in gritty performance to beat Dennis Bermudez". MMAjunkie.
Tristen Critchfield. (2017-11-09). "Michael Johnson drops to featherweight, meets Darren Elkins at UFC Fight Night 124". sherdog.com.
Quiles, Fernando Jr.. (2018-01-14). "Darren Elkins Shocks Michael Johnson In St. Louis". LowKickMMA.com.
Tristen Critchfield. (2018-01-14). "UFC Fight Night 124 Bonuses: Stephens, Choi, Elkins, Reyes Receive $50K Checks". sherdog.com.
Dale Jordan. (2018-05-09). "Darren Elkins vs Alexander Volkanovski added to UFC Fight Night 133 in Idaho".
Matt Erickson. (2018-07-14). "UFC Fight Night 133 results: Alex Volkanovski tops typically gritty Darren Elkins".
Staff. (2018-10-23). "Darren Elkins meets Ricardo Lamas in UFC Buenos Aires co-headliner". mmajunkie.com.
Dave Doyle. (2018-11-18). "UFC Argentina results: Ricardo Lamas earns third-round finish of Darren Elkins". mmafighting.com.
(2019-05-15). "Cynthia Calvillo-Livinha Souza, Ryan Hall-Darren Elkins among UFC Sacramento bouts announced".
(2019-07-13). "UFC Sacramento: Ryan Hall dominates Darren Elkins in one-sided fight".
Martin, Damon. (2020-05-01). "UFC reveals full fight cards for May 13 and May 16 events".
"Darren Elkins vs. Nate Landwehr Results and News - UFC FIGHT NIGHT: Overeem vs. Harris - MMA Fighting".
Redactie. (2020-09-29). "Darren Elkins meets Eduardo Garagorri on November 7".
Harshman, Heath. (2020-11-07). "UFC Vegas 13 Results: Darren Elkins Snaps Skid, Submits Eduardo Garagorri".
Farah Hannoun. (2021-05-21). "Darren Elkins vs. Darrick Minner added to UFC Fight Night on July 24". mmajunkie.usatoday.com.
Anderson, Jay. (2021-07-24). "UFC Vegas 32 Results: Darren Elkins Mounts Second Round Comeback, Stops Darrick Miner".
Dan Hiergesell. (2021-07-24). "UFC Vegas 32 bonuses: Darren Elkins, Adrian Yanez lead $50K winners". mmamania.com.
Lee, Alexander K.. (2021-09-30). "Cub Swanson vs. Darren Elkins added to Dec. 18 UFC card".
Miller, Timothy. (2021-12-18). "UFC Vegas 45: Cub Swanson Overwhelms, Stops Darren Elkins Early".
Newswire, MMA Fighting. (2022-02-17). "Darren Elkins vs. Tristan Connelly set for April 30 UFC event".
Anderson, Jay. (2022-04-30). "UFC Vegas 53: Darren Elkins Wins Gruelling, Hard-Hitting Scrap with Tristan Connelly".
(2022-09-05). "Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Aug. 29-Sept. 4)".
(3 December 2022). "UFC Orlando: Jonathan Pearce Batters Bloodied Darren Elkins".
Raghuwanshi, Vipin. (2023-08-24). "Darren Elkins vs. TJ Brown 145 lbs bout on tap for UFC Vegas 81".
(2023-10-14). "UFC Vegas 81: Darren Elkins Subs TJ Brown In Fight Brimming with Fun Grappling Exchanges".
Anderson, Jay. (2024-09-02). "UFC: Daniel Pineda vs. Darren Elkins Set for October 19".
Bryan Hester. (2024-10-19). "UFC Vegas 99: Darren Elkins Sends Daniel Pineda Into Retirement". cagesidepress.com.
Chris Taylor. (2024-10-19). "UFC Vegas 99 Bonus Report: Darren Elkins and Daniel Pineda earn FOTN honors". bjpenn.com.
Brian Mazique. (2025-02-11). "UFC 314 Adds Potential Fight Of The Night To Stacked Card". forbes.com.
Andrew Richardson. (2025-04-12). "Highlights! Julian Erosa destroys wobbly Darren Elkins in uncomfortably violent stoppage - UFC 314". mmamania.com.
UFC.com. (April 12, 2025). "UFC Stats - Featherweight Division". [[Ultimate Fighting Championship.
UFC. (October 19, 2024). "UFC Fighter Stats". UFC.
Thomas Gerbasi. (January 3, 2018). "The Top Ten Biggest Upsets of 2017". [[Ultimate Fighting Championship]].
Thomas Gerbasi. (January 4, 2019). "Top Submissions of 2018". [[Ultimate Fighting Championship]].
Bohn, Mike. (January 8, 2018). "MMAjunkie's '2017 Fight of the Year': Debuting champion lives up to hype".
Dann Stupp. (2018-01-05). "MMAjunkie's '2017 Comeback of the Year': Darren Elkins lives up to 'The Damage' nickname".
(December 28, 2017). "2017 UFC Fight of the Year: Gaethje vs. Johnson blows away the competition".
Kuhl, Dan. (January 16, 2018). "Combat Press 2017 MMA Awards: Comeback of the Year – Darren Elkins vs. Mirsad Bektic".
DeSantis, Michael. (January 3, 2018). "MMASucka 2017 MMA Awards".
"Darren Elkins gets Back to the Grind".
"UFCNews.com Elkins-win-ufc-209-one-changed-everything".
"DARREN ELKINS KNOWS WHO HE IS".
Email, Share by. (2010-07-29). "Darren 'The Damage' Elkins looks for second win in the UFC octagon".
Sherdog.com. "Darren".

Wikipedia Source

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