The grizzled Ultimate Fighting Championship vet known as “The Damage” is not finished yet.
Darren Elkins (27-11) revealed on Thursday on his Instagram page that he will be competing on Oct. 14. His first pairing of 2023 will come at the featherweight division, where he will battle it out with T.J. Brown (17-10) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Both men are coming off losses, having dropped two of their last three.
The ultra-durable Elkins split his 2022 campaign with a win over Tristan Connelly followed by a December decision loss to Jonathan Pearce. The 17-10 record in the Octagon for the Team Alpha Male product is the exact same as the entire professional record for his opponent. Since joining the roster over 13 years ago, “The Damage” has secured wins over names like Dennis Bermudez, Mirsad Bektic, Michael Johnson and Hatsu Hioki, to name a few.
Brown cannot currently celebrate a winning record in the UFC, as his three victories are opposed by four defeats. Most recently, Bill Algeo landed a guillotine choke on him to put him back in the red. The pickup from the 2019 season of Dana White's Contender Series lost his first two in the UFC, only to bounce back from that with a pair of decision wins over Kai Kamaka III and Charles Rosa. The 82% finish rate for “Downtown” stands far above that of his opponent’s at 52%.
The UFC Fight Night event on Oct. 14 currently has no name or designation, due to its broadcast details not being released. There is no headliner booked for this event that will be held at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. A few bouts that will likely be featured on the main card include a featherweight striker’s delight between Sodiq Yusuff and Edson Barboza, as well as a middleweight rumble pitting Michel Pereira against Marc-Andre Barriault.
More must-reads: