“I’m in a different mind frame right now,” he admits. “Things like that are still not all the way gone for me, but I want to make sure I’m having fun in these later fights. This is probably the last chapter of my story, so I put pressure on myself a while back and I just want to have as much fun as I can. Let’s just have fun, we’re gonna take one fight at a time, I want to put on performances that I’m satisfied with and make sure I’m getting better as a fighter. I do believe that even late in my career I’m getting better as a fighter, so I’m more focused on that right now than going after a title or getting back in the Top 15. I’m just taking one fight at a time and I’ll reevaluate my career after every fight now.”
Jeez, Darren, you’re no fun anymore.
“I’m always fun,” he laughs. “I’m just realistic. 37 years old and 25 UFC fights, but I’m enjoying the moment, though.”
I remind Elkins of Michael Bisping and how he put together a stellar career but wasn’t likely to get a title shot at 37, only to see him jump in as a short-notice replacement, beat Luke Rockhold, and win the UFC middleweight title. Could this be a realistic scenario for the veteran featherweight?
“I fought a lot of guys in the division,” said Elkins. “So it’s one of those things where it’s like, hey, if I put on some good fights like I have been, put on some good shows, there’s one thing about my wins I’ve been doing too is I’ve been finishing fights instead of just winning by decision, so I think that makes me more exciting. I think I can turn the corner any moment, but I’m just staying focused on one fight at a time, and if it happens, let’s do it. That would be the dream, the perfect ending to the story.”
Don’t miss a moment of the final fight night of the year at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Daukaus, live from the UFC APEX on ESPN+. Prelims begin at 4pm ET/1pm PT. Main card begins at 7pm ET/4pm PT.
