Darren Elkins scored the biggest win of his career at UFC on Fox 25 Saturday night on Long Island. Taking a split decision against the formidable Dennis Bermudez in the co-main event of the UFC Long Island card, Elkins admitted in the post-fight press conference that he was a little nervous when the scores were read out — but is also looking up the rankings for his next opponent.
“This was a big fight for me, my first co-main event, coming off four straight wins” he said of the Bermudez fight, adding later that “this is five in a row, and I couldn’t be happier.” He also recognized what got him the win against “The Menace” on Saturday. “The grind is my game” Elkins told the media. “Those are the fights I’m going to succeed in. It’s not the prettiest stuff sometimes, but man I make it work, and I make it work good.”
That said, the featherweight admitted he was nervous when the fight went to the judges. “I was a little worried” he claimed. “You’re always freaking, gasping for air when you hear it’s a split decision, because you never know what they’re going to see. I thought for sure I won the first two rounds, I think he probably won the third round for sure.” Ultimately, two of the three judges cageside saw it in his favor.
So what’s next for Elkins after a strong performance at UFC Long Island? Max Holloway now rules the roost at featherweight, but he’s expected to be booked against Frankie Edgar for this first title defense. For Elkins, he admits he’s not ready for a title shot yet — but he is close.
“There’s a lot of good match-ups, there’s Zombie, Cub Swanson, I want a guy like that” Elkins answered when asked about who he’d like to fight next. “I think I deserve a guy like that. I want a guy that’s going to give me an exciting fight, and put me right there in title contention. Five in a row’s close, I don’t think I deserve it yet, but I deserve a top five guy, top six guy for sure, and that will put me in the top [of the weight class].”
