Zhang-Elkins Targeted for UFC 136 in Houston

Darren Elkins (pictured, right) will tangle with Tiequan Zhang at UFC 136. | Photo: Dave Mandel

Headlined by a lightweight title rubber match pitting champion Frankie Edgar against the only man to ever beat him in Gray Maynard, UFC 136 will emanate from the Toyota Center in Houston. Also featuring a featherweight championship showdown between Jose Aldo and Kenny Florian, the event's main card will air live on pay-per-view.

China's lone UFC representative, Zhang has tasted defeat only once in nearly six years as a professional. Known as “The Mongolian Wolf,” Zhang made his North American debut at WEC 51 last year. After quickly submitting Pablo Garza via guillotine choke in that matchup, the 33-year-old was defeated in his sophomore WEC effort by Danny Downes. Most recently, Zhang dropped to featherweight and rebounded from his lone defeat to earn a submission victory over Jason Reinhardt at UFC 127 in February.

Elkins has won four of his last five bouts. The Hoosier has posted a 2-1 record in his UFC career thus far, debuting successfully at UFC Live 1 last year. After earning a technical knockout over Duane Ludwig due to an ankle injury in that bout, Elkins was quickly submitted in his sophomore effort by Charles Oliveira this past August. The American made the cut to 145 pounds for his most recent outing in June, earning a controversial unanimous decision over Michihiro Omigawa at UFC 131.