LAS VEGAS – Darren Elkins beat TJ Brown with a third-round submission Saturday to close out the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 230 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Elkins, who has finishes in five of his past seven wins.
TJ Brown vs. Darren Elkins
Result: Darren Elkins def. TJ Brown via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:23
Updated records: Elkins (29-11 MMA, 18-10 UFC), Brown (17-11 MMA, 3-5 UFC)
Key stats: Elkins landed five takedowns and had more than eight minutes of control time.
Elkins on the fight's key moment
“I shot in, got real deep, got him down, and once I get somebody down, – I mean, I’m a grinder. I’ll start wearing on you, and I’ll start taking your soul little bit by little bit. I felt like that’s what happened in this fight. He’s tough. He’s an athletic kid. But I drug him into deep waters and I drowned him. That’s what I do. That’s what I’m known to do. It was just one of those fights like, man, this is the Darren Elkins of old right here.”
Darren Elkins did damage to force the tap 👏 #UFCVegas81 pic.twitter.com/KO4VmrGiH3
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 14, 2023
Elkins on sticking around
“The reason why I haven’t retired yet is because I do love it. It’s not the money. It’s not the fame. It’s cool. I like that stuff – don’t get me wrong. But it’s the being able to compete and still do this and get this feeling like I do right now. I’m going to miss it when I’m gone. I want to be one of those guys that I finish my career and say, ‘Man, I did everything I wanted to do.’ I’m not coming back. I don’t want to be a guy that retires and comes back, and retires and comes back. When I’m done, I’m done, and I’m going to do it on my own terms and it’s going to be awesome.”
Elkins on what he wants next
“I’m not coming back in December. Just like this one, I think maybe if I take a little bit more time and let my body recover – I don’t have to fight like I used to, three times a year. I’m not the young guy anymore. A couple times a year is great. Maybe March – I’m thinking maybe March. That’d be a good time for it. Give me a little time to enjoy the holidays and let’s get back in here in March.
“As far as names, I’m not going to call anybody out. I can tell you right now, I haven’t even looked at any of my Instagram, my Twitter, my social media, but those guys are chomping at the bit. They look at me and they go, ‘Oh yeah, I want Elkins next.’ And they do until they don’t, you know?”
To hear more from Elkins, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 230.
