Darren Elkins was the biggest underdog on the entire UFC 209 card and that’s how the first 12 minutes of his bout against Mirsad Bektic unfolded Saturday in Las Vegas.
Bektic was dominating the featured preliminary bout and bloodied Elkins early courtesy of a hard elbow, but Elkins persisted and finished his opponent with a series of strikes late in the third round.
The win was Elkins’ fourth in a row and the first time Bektic had ever tasted defeat. Elkins is now 11-3 in the UFC’s featherweight division.
In other action, Tyson Pedro continued making a name for himself. The UFC’s light-heavyweight division is always starving for talent and Pedro is quickly rising up the ranks. The Australian improved to 6-0 as a professional with an impressive TKO victory over Scotland’s Paul Craig. It marked Craig’s first career loss.
Here are the official UFC 209 preliminary card results:
— Marcin Tybura def. Luis Henrique by TKO
— Darren Elkins def. Mirsad Bektic by KO
— Iuri Alcantara def. Luke Sanders by submission
— Mark Godbeer def. Daniel Spitz by unanimous decision
— Tyson Pedro def. Paul Craig by TKO
— Albert Morales def. Andre Soukhamthath by split decision
