Athletes
DARREN ELKINS KNOWS WHO HE IS
Featherweight Veteran Talks Gritty Approach, Grimy Battles Ahead Of Anticipated Clash With Julian Erosa
Remember the scene in Fight Club where Lou, the guy that owns the bar where Tyler Durden and company are convening their little physical get togethers, comes into the basement, tells everyone to get out, and then lays a beating on Tyler?
Throughout the brief, one-sided battering, Tyler waves off help and continues laughing, antagonizing Lou to give him a little bit more until the suited bar owner lands what he feels is the blow that will finally put Tyler down for good. As he rises and straightens himself out, fixing his tie, Tyler, face smeared with blood, rushes to his feet, drives Lou to the concrete floor and climbs on top of him, looking him dead in the eyes, blood dripping off his face, and says, “You don’t know where I’ve been, Lou.”
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Having watched the entirety of his UFC career, it feels like Darren Elkins is Tyler Durden and every individual that has signed up to stand opposite him over the last 15 years had been a potential Lou.
“Yeah it does,” Elkins says with a laugh when I ask if that scene feels like a fair representation of the way he fights, just a few days before the 40-year-old makes his 30th trip into the Octagon against Julian Erosa. “There is something deep inside me that won’t quit.
“I’ve been underrated my whole life. I’ve been an underdog in a bunch of my fights. People told me all my life that I couldn’t do it, and I always had to prove them wrong.”
By his own admission, Elkins isn’t a great athlete, but he’s never let that stop him. Rather than lament the things that he doesn’t have, the Portage, Indiana native has always steered into the skills and traits that make him stand out, learning at a very early age that grit and drive can be just as valuable as explosive athleticism.
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“Truthfully, I learned it in wrestling, way back in the day, when the wrestlers would be beating me in the beginning and I would keep on coming, keep on beating on their head, keep on going forward,” he says when asked about the “never quit” mentality that has produced some of the more memorable comeback wins in UFC history. “You would feel a wrestler break and I take over the mat. I learned it at an early age, probably in high school, and I learned that my endurance and my heart, my pure will, was better than everybody else’s.
“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.
Darren Elkins Gets The 3rd Round Submission Win | UFC Fight Night: Yusuff vs Barboza
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Darren Elkins Gets The 3rd Round Submission Win | UFC Fight Night: Yusuff vs Barboza
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“And if you slow down for even an instant, I’m coming even harder.”
When I ask if there are moments where he’d trade it all for the chance to be that five-star physical talent capable of executing the highlight reel moves that land you a place in the SportsCenter Top 10, the man aptly nicknamed “The Damage” expresses a sentiment previously echoed by the current welterweight champion, Belal Muhammad.
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Back when he was still climbing the ranks, I spoke to Muhammad about the moment things really clicked for him in terms of understanding that his approach was enough to carry him to great heights inside the Octagon, and he recounted how he went into his fight with Geoff Neal at the start of 2019 convinced he needed to be flashier; that he needed to try an emulate his teammate and former lightweight champ Anthony “Showtime” Pettis.
He lost the bout by unanimous decision, recognized the error of his ways, and doubled down on the things he does well, turning them into dangerous weapons.
He hasn’t lost since, and currently sits atop the 170-pound weight class. Elkins has similar feelings.
“It’d be nice to go out there, not take much damage and come out with the win, but it’s one of those things where the faster I accepted it and didn’t try to go against who I am, the better success I’ve had,” admits the veteran stalwart, who will become the 19th individual to make 30 appearances inside the Octagon this weekend in Miami. “If I go in there thinking ‘I’m a great striker and I’m gonna knock out everybody,’ it takes away from my game plan. I’ve gotta think ‘I gotta mix it up, I gotta be gritty, I gotta keep coming forward and make it an ugly fight.’
"The ugly fights are always in my favor.”
Historically they have been, and it’s why despite never challenging for championship gold and never really getting particularly close to doing so, Elkins has become a fan favorite and must-see attraction every time his name appears on the card.
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The same can be said of Erosa as well, which is why this featherweight contest, which wraps up Saturday’s UFC 314 early prelims at Kaseya Center, landed in this month’s installment of The 10, which highlights the most intriguing and anticipated matchups on the calendar.
Five years Elkins’ junior, the 35-year-old Erosa needed three tries before he finally established himself as a fixture at this level, remaining persistent and driven to compete at this level after going 1-1 in his post-TUF cameo inside the UFC cage and losing three straight during his second call-up to MMA’s big leagues.
He returned for a third time in the summer of 2020, submitting Sean Woodson in his first fight back and building a 7-3 record during his current stint as a can’t-miss competitor in the 145-pound weight class.
“These types of fights, I know when Sean Shelby offers them what he’s thinking,” Elkins says with a laugh when asked about the pairing with Erosa. “That it’s gonna be a fun fight to watch, and when I look back, I like watching them too because these are fun fights filled with crazy moments and a lot of chaos.
“Julian Erosa brings a lot of chaos, brings a lot of pressure too, so it’s gonna be a fun fight Looking back at my career, this is gonna be one of those fights where it’s like, ‘That was a tough, good fight.’”
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Elkins, who turns 41 in May, is at a point now where he knows the end is near, which is why, I would assume, he’s made several references to looking back on his career.
“I never thought I would be 40 years old and still doing this,” he admits when asked about his longevity and continuing to make the walk, both this weekend and beyond. “If you would have told 25-year-old me when I first got into the UFC that I would be doing this in my 40s, he would have laughed at you.
“But the game has changed: the science behind it has changed, the way we train has changed; I’m still learning, I’m still getting better, and I’m still having fun with it, which is the most important thing.
"I’m still around because I’m still having fun and I can still do it,” continues Elkins, who credits the UFC’s first heavyweight champion with helping him cement the approach he’s been taking in regards to his career for the last couple of years. “I talked to Mark Coleman one time after I lost to (Nate) Landwehr and he was like, ‘You’re not gonna be able to do this much longer; enjoy it while you can.’
“And he’s right — there’s gonna be a point where I’m not able to do this again, and I’ll miss it.”
Though he knows the day is coming, don’t expect Elkins to lay down his gloves in the center of the Octagon on Saturday.
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“This isn’t my last one, but I’m close,” he says, his voice raising with excitement, almost in defiance of the idea that he might be ready to walk away. “I’m getting close, and not because I can’t do it, but I want to go out on my own terms. Most fighters have to get forced out, but I’m gonna go out just like the rest of my career: on my own terms.
“Maybe I’m not the most exciting, fan favorite guy all the time — my fights are exciting — but I’ve always done it my way, and I never had to go off of who I really am.
“This is my second one of my four-fight contract, so maybe somewhere between now and the end of my contract, but I don’t know,” he adds. “I don’t think I’m going past three fights, but this definitely isn’t the end of it.”
Ironically, the fact that he’s working towards the finish line and poised to reach at least one major career milestone this weekend does give Saturday’s bout with Erosa any added importance or greater weight for Elkins.
The one thing that does get him a little more excited about this one is that it’ll be in front of a packed house in South Beach, including a collection of folks that will be there in full throat to support him.
Other than that, it’s just business as usual for the UFC’s quintessential blue-collared battler.
“Getting my hand raised is the same for this one. When I get my hand raised, it’s not gonna be ‘this is something different.’ The only thing I’m looking forward to with this one is I get a crowd; I’m gonna have my friends, my family there, so that makes a difference.
“But other than that, I don’t put any pressure on myself about stuff like that; I don’t add anything — I just remember why I’m doing it and have fun while I’m doing it.”
UFC 314: Volkanovski vs Lopes took place live from Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida on April 12, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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