Darren Elkins constantly lives up to his nickname as “The Damage” after absorbing a lot of punishment from Darrick Minner and then dishing out even more of his own to get the job done with a second-round stoppage on the UFC Vegas 32 main card.
After spending most of the opening round defending submission attempts and some serious ground and pound, Elkins then trapped an exhausted Minner on the canvas where he began blasting away with punches and elbows. Elkins eventually advanced his position as he continued raining down shots from above and with Minner making no attempt to break free, the referee had no choice but to stop the contest with the end coming at 3:48 in the second round.
“That’s what I’m built for,” Elkins said afterwards. “I’m built different. Some of these guys have all of the athleticism in the world but me, I’m tough and I keep coming. So you better be ready cause I’ll break you.”
There was no feeling out period with this featherweight fight as Minner and Elkins were almost immediately scrambling for position on the ground as the fighters got into a series of grappling exchanges. Minner was attacking with a variety of submissions including a brief front choke as well as a triangle choke, which then gave way to an armbar attempt.
Despite his best attempts, Minner just couldn’t keep hold of Elkins’ limbs as the veteran Team Alpha Male fighter kept finding a way to break free. While he couldn’t get the finish that way, Minner was undeterred as he started hammering away at Elkins with a brutal series of punches and elbows.
After absorbing a lot of punishment, Elkins was bleeding from the face yet still seemed like he was more energized than ever before to return the favor. That strategy started paying off when Minner failed on a guillotine choke attempt and then looked drained as he laid on the ground.
Elkins trapped both of Minner’s arms before he began dropping shots from the crucifix position and it looked like the fight might be stopped right there. Minner did manage to wiggle out of that spot momentarily but that only resulted in Elkins throwing hammer fists and punches with his opponent trapped underneath him.
That finally led to the stoppage as Elkins ripped up from the canvas in celebration while putting on another signature comeback performance.
Now riding a two-fight win streak, Elkins is looking to stay busy with hopes of booking his next fight sooner rather than later.
“I just want to fight in October,” Elkins said. “I’m just kind of at the point in my career where let’s just make matchups that would be fun to watch.”
Get the latest gear
