Darren Elkins

Darren Elkins (born May 16, 1984) is an American former mixed martial artist who competed in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

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 124. 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 8. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Elkins faced Luiz Eduardo Garagorri on November 7, 2020, at UFC on ESPN 17. He won the fight via a submission in round three.

Elkins faced Darrick Minner on July 24, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 27. 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 199. 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.

In his retirement fight, Elkins faced Yadier del Valle on August 8, 2026, at UFC Fight Night 284. He lost the fight by knockout in the first round and retired after the bout.

Championships and accomplishments Ultimate Fighting Championship Fight of the Night (One time) Second most wins in UFC Featherweight division history (18) Second most total fight time in UFC Featherweight division history (5:49:39) 2018: Ranked #9 Submission of the Year MMA Junkie 2017 #4 Ranked Fight of the Year 2017 Comeback of the Year vs. Mirsad Bektić at UFC 209 CBS Sports 2017 #2 Ranked UFC Fight of the Year Combat Press 2017 Comeback of the Year MMA Sucka 2017 Comeback of the Year

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. 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.