Darren Elkins completes epic comeback with vicious third-round knockout at UFC 209
LAS VEGAS -- Things weren’t looking too good for Darren Elkins for the first 12 minutes of his fight against Mirsad Bektic at UFC 209.
But somehow, some way, the UFC veteran was able to rally and score a third-round knockout over opponent Mirsad Bektic during the FS1 prelims on Saturday night.
Elkins was on the receiving end of a beating during the opening five minutes. Bektic unloaded on his opponent with a barrage of punches -- 102 unofficially according to FightMetric -- and added a takedown for good measure to walk away with a sure 10-8 round.
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Bektic continued his onslaught in the second round until Elkins stole momentum mid-way through the stanza, when he fought off a takedown and managed to take Bektic’s back. Despite that, the Team Alpha Male fighter was still likely down on the cards significantly headed into the third round.
The all-out attack from Bektic was even more intense in the third, as he attempted takedown after takedown before finally getting Elkins back to the canvas again with two minutes into the round. Elkins, however, never one to give up, managed to grab ahold of Bektic’s leg in a hook lock.
Bektic squirmed his way out of trouble for a moment but Elkins quickly took his back and started pummeling the Bosnian with heavy right hands to the head. One of those punches hurt Bektic, and as he stumbled forward, Elkins unleashed a hellacious head kick that sent his opponent crashing face first to the canvas.
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The crowd erupted at the action while Elkins, still a bloody mess from the war, circled the ring with his arm raised.
The marked Elkins’ fourth straight win and easily the biggest comeback of his career as he improves to 23-5 overall. Bektic drops to 11-1 with the loss, but at just 26 years old, still has a very bright future in the featherweight division.
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