You’d think Darren (The Damage) Elkins lived up to his nickname when he scored a 44-second win in a bone-breaking UFC debut.
But you’d be wrong.
“When I train — I don’t know if it’s my face or soft skin or what it is — I usually get cut easily or I get black eyes easily or I get bruised easily,” explained the lightweight from Portage, Ind.
“So I’m The Damage, because I take the damage. Even if I’m getting the best of somebody, it seems like if they flick me I get a bruise or something.
But that’s training. Elkins has won 12 of his 13 fights and only suffered a black eye once.
It was Elkins’ opponent, Duane (Bang) Ludwig, who felt the pain when the two met March 21 in Broomfield, Colo. Elkins took Ludwig down and the veteran fell awkwardly under him, immediately tapping out.
It turned out Ludwig required surgery for three breaks, including his tibia. Ludwig (27-11) is now back in training.
Elkins, meanwhile, climbs back into the cage Sunday when he takes on unbeaten newcomer Charles Oliveira in San Diego on a televised card headlined by rising light-heavyweight star Jon (Bones) Jones against veteran Vladimir (The Janitor) Matyushenko.
Oliveira (12-0) is “mostly a ground fighter,” according to Elkins.
“He’s got really good jiu-jitsu, he’s got pretty good standup, he’s pretty explosive,” added Elkins, continuing the scouting report. “He’s a young guy, he’s 20 years old. He’s got a lot of hype behind him, they say he’s supposed to be the next up-and-comer Brazilian guy.”
Elkins, 26, sees himself as a battle-tested reality check for Oliveira.
While Elkins was a late replacement for the injured Spencer Fisher against Ludwig, he has been waiting to fight Oliveira. The two were supposed to meet in June on the live finale of Season 11 of “the Ultimate Fighter” but, with two weeks to go, the fight was pushed back — reportedly because of visa problems for the Brazilian.
Elkins took a week off training.
“It was a little frustrating,” he said.
So was the Ludwig fight, which despite the win was not all that satisfying, Elkins acknowledged.
Still, it was an exciting evening for the Local 597 apprentice pipefitter.
“I think every fighter’s dream is to fight in the UFC ... I was excited to prove myself,” he said.
It’s been an eventful year so far for Elkins, who had a baby boy, bought a new house and fought in the UFC.
“It’s been a great year,” said Elkins, who also has a 3 1/2-year-old daughter.
Elkins started fighting early — with his older brother — and took up wrestling when he was four. He went on to become an Indiana state high school champion with a record of 191-9.
That earned him a scholarship to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. After a redshirt year, he was ranked as high as No. 6 in Division 2 as a freshman.
Then his girlfriend — now his wife — got pregnant. Elkins left school to get a job and support his family, following his family’s pipe-fitting footsteps.
“I knew I could pay the bills with being a pipefitter,” he explained.
Then he ran into a friend, Keith Wisniewski, who ran the Duneland Vale Tudo gym in nearby Hobart. Wisniewski wanted to get Elkins into MMA and Elkins was curious.
Elkins came to the gym, “fell in love with the sport and just dedicated myself to it.”
After making his pro debut in January 2007, he won his first eight fights before being knocked out in 13 seconds by Ted Worthington in September 2009.
Elkins said the defeat taught him valuable lessons — work on your standup and remember everyone can get beat.
“It definitely took me to the next level,” he said.
Elkins won his next two fights, including a decision over former UFC fighter Gideon Ray, earning an invitation from UFC matchmaker Joe Silva.