Preview: UFC Fight Night 140 ‘Magny vs. Ponzinibbio’

Featherweights

Ricardo Lamas (18-7) vs. Darren Elkins (24-6)

ODDS: Lamas (-240), Elkins (+200)

Two featherweight veterans look to hang on to contender status in the co-main event. Lamas might finally be falling off, and he seems to be an obvious victim of the churn currently taking place at 145 pounds. Once the UFC absorbed World Extreme Cagefighting, Lamas immediately made a run towards the title, winning his first four fights before falling short in his shot against Jose Aldo. From there, Lamas managed to stick around on the fringes of the featherweight title picture. He was never quite able to beat the divisional elite, but his well-rounded and opportunistic style allowed him to get some one-sided results over everyone else. However, the wheels started to come off late last year. Lamas was initially slated for a rematch with Aldo in December, but some required shuffling of cards turned that fight into a shocking upset loss against Josh Emmett, who stopped Lamas via brutal first-round knockout. After losing to another young fighter on the rise in Mirsad Bektic, Lamas has suddenly gone from perennial contender to afterthought, so a win over Elkins is sorely needed.

Bektic’s name came up, so Elkins almost has to be brought up next, as the Indiana native’s win over the uber-prospect pretty much encapsulates his approach to fighting. Elkins lives up to his nickname -- “The Damage” -- by taking ridiculous amounts of abuse. The Bektic fight was no exception, as the American Top Team export hammered Elkins with some vicious ground-and-pound for the better part of two rounds. However, Elkins never stops fighting, and despite being battered and bruised, he managed to keep coming forward in the third, eventually overwhelming a gassed Bektic and scoring the late knockout. Elkins has made a career out of upending prospects and more athletic fighters, and the Bektic win was the fourth in a six-fight winning streak that shockingly put “The Damage” in the hunt for a featherweight title shot. With that said, Elkins also wound up getting caught up in the wave of rising fighters at 145 pounds, as a decision loss to Alexander Volkanovski in July halted his streak. Elkins’ grimy style means a title shot is almost surely out of reach, but a win here could start another winning streak that might at least put him back in the picture.

I am not exactly sure what to make of this one. Elkins fights are usually pretty easy to call, as they rely on his opponent’s wrestling ability and stamina, but I cannot say for sure how Lamas is going to fare against the grind. My instinct is to say that Elkins can probably still do Elkins things despite Lamas being a strong wrestler, but there is also the question of whether or not the latter is the rare fighter who can scare off Elkins. Lamas if nothing else is an opportunistic power puncher, and his counterpart’s reliance on his durability will probably result in “The Bully” teeing off as Elkins tries to plod forward. I expected to pick Elkins going in and I am still holding onto that, as I do think he will find a way to walk through Lamas’ punches. Still, it is a surprisingly close call, and if Lamas manages to blast Elkins for a finish, I will not be surprised. The pick is Elkins via decision.

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