Darren
Elkins did damage to force the tap đź‘Ź
#UFCVegas81 pic.twitter.com/KO4VmrGiH3— ESPN MMA (@espnmma)
October 14, 2023
Even at 39 years old Darren “The
Damage” Elkins continues to be a tough night at the office for
Ultimate Fighting Championship opponents.
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Elkins turned back the clock with a beautifully executed rear naked
choke on T.J. Brown at
the 2:23 mark of the third round of their featherweight clash at
UFC Fight Night 230.
Elkins has been cut more than Michelin star chefs but fans were
surprised to see him clean after two rounds of consistent
scrambling with Brown.
Despite Brown’s 10 submission wins, Elkins seemed unfazed by the
Westside MMA prospect. Elkins settled into top control and made
life miserable with the constant pace.
Heading into Round 3, the fans finally got what they wanted. As the
blood streamed down Elkins face, Brown’s eyes grew frantic once
“The Damage” sunk into an RNC that would ultimately give him his
second straight loss.
Tainara
Lisboa spoiled Ravena
Oliveira’s Octagon debut by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28,
29-28).
Lisboa controlled most of the first two rounds with consistent top
pressure along the cage. Oliveira would start to turn the tide of
the fight in round 3 with a handful of hard flurries but her late
fight surge came too late.
If you blinked you might’ve missed one of the most devastating
knees of the year, courtesy of Terrance
McKinney.
“T. Wrecks” wasted little time on Brendon
Marotte on Saturday. McKinney dropped Marotte with a flash knee
in the first eight seconds and spent the next 12 reigning down
punches until referee Herb Dean
mercifully stopped the bout 20 seconds into the first round.
Melissa
Dixon (6-0) could be an exciting addition to the women’s
bantamweight division but the English slugger wasn’t impressed by
her UFC debut.
Dixon shook off a highlight reel-esque knockdown from Irina
Alekseeva to pound her way to a unanimous decision win (30-27,
29-28, 29-28). Alekseeva was behind most of the fight but always
seemed to have a response to Dixon’s textbook jab. Both fighters
were bloodied but Dixon’s use of grappling helped her control the
tempo.
Chris
Gutierrez is one of the most fluid strikers at bantamweight and
he proved that early against Heili
Alateng.
Alateng couldn’t keep up with Gutierrez’s lateral movement and paid
dearly on feints and counters. Gutierrez’s chopped at his legs
consistently and never let Alateng settle into his wrestling.
It was an impressive bounce-back performance for the UFC’s No.
15-ranked bantamweight. Gutierrez had his four-fight win streak
snapped by Pedro
Munhoz last April but controlled every moment en route to a
unanimous decision win (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Strawweight Emily
Ducote returned to the winning column after grinding out a
tough decision over Ashley
Yoder (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) in the evening’s opening bout
Yoder, looking for her first win in over three years, opened the
fight looking to strike and landed an eye-opening overhand left.
Ducote marked up Yoder with punches and opened up a visible gash
before the third round. Ducote and Yoder’s fight could’ve gone
either way late but Ducote’s pressure pushed through in the third
and won over the judges.