UFC Vegas 53: Darren Elkins Confident UFC Will Re-Sign Him, Wants Sept Bout

Las Vegas, NV – The legend of “The Damage” Darren Elkins continued when he earned a tough decision victory over Tristan Connelly at UFC Vegas 53 on Saturday night.

Elkins expected and received a very tough fight against Connelly who himself has shown to be very durable in fights.

“I knew that Tristan is a dog fighter himself like me. I figured the difference would be the takedowns my wrestling background. I know he’s got a jiu-jitsu background, he’s a black belt, but I figured my wrestling would be the thing that gets me the win,” Elkins told reporters in his post-fight media scrum.

“I watched a lot of his fights. That’s exactly the type of fight I thought it was going to be. I was tired, he was tired, and we both just kept on pushing through. I knew it was going to be one of those ‘who can swim in the deeper water, who can dig deeper’. I’ve been there so many times I felt like I could do it,” Elkins said.

With some of his Team Alpha Male teammates on the card Elkins fed off that for his bout.

“Yeah it’s like a big party. You get a bunch of Team Alpha Male guys, and a bunch of our friends come here. We hang out, and we train together. We feed off each other’s energy. It’s a lot more fun when you’ve got more people with you,” Elkins said.

Elkins revealed that this was the last fight on his contract, but he was optimistic about getting another offer from the UFC sooner than later.

“I’m not in a hurry to get back in there too fast, but I definitely want to get back in here around September. This was the last fight on my contract. I’m pretty sure I’ll get a new contract I have a good relationship with the UFC. This is where I want to finish my career I don’t want to fight anywhere else. I’m pretty sure I’ll be back here soon,” Elkins said.

As for possible opponents “The Damage” wasn’t in a hurry to name anyone.

“I’m going to sit down, look at the roster, and figure that out too. I don’t like making decisions anymore last minute. Calling out somebody. I like to see who’s kind of available and go from there.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 53 post-fight media appearance from Darren Elkins above. More coverage from the event can be found below.