The UFC’s return to New York and its debut on Long Island continues to build with a new featherweight fight.
Veteran fighters Dennis Bermudez (16-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) and Darren Elkins (22-5 MMA, 12-4 UFC) have been booked to meet at UFC on FOX 25 in July. Elkins made the announcement on his Instagram account, though the fight has not been formally announced by UFC officials. MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani first mentioned the booking on Twitter earlier this month.
UFC on FOX 25 takes place July 22 at NYCB LIVE in Uniondale, N.Y. The event’s main card airs on FOX after prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass, though the bout order hasn’t been finalized.
Here we go! July 22nd in Long Island I'm throwing down against Dennis Bermudez at UFC on Fox 25!
A post shared by Darren Elkins (@darrenelkinsmma) on
Elkins is No. 13 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings. Bermudez currently is an Honorable Mention selection.
After being submitted by Diego Brandao in the “TUF 14” tournament final in 2011, Bermudez went on a tear with seven straight wins, including four bonuses. But after stoppages of Jimy Hettes and Clay Guida, he got a step up in competition and was stopped by Ricardo Lamas and Jeremy Stephens in back-to-back fights.
Bermudez rebounded at UFC Fight Night 83 in February 2016 with a unanimous decision win over Tatsuya Kawajiri and followed that up by outpointing Rony Jason at UFC Fight Night 92 this past August. That earned him his first UFC main event. But at UFC Fight Night 104 in Houston, he was knocked out in the first round by “The Korean Zombie,” Chan Sung Jung, who was returning after a layoff of three and a half years.
After an up-and-down run for six fights, Elkins has gotten back on track with four straight wins since moving his training camp from his native Northwest Indiana, near Chicago, to Team Alpha Male in California.
Since alternating wins and losses for six fights, with setbacks to Chad Mendes, Jeremy Stephens and Hacran Dias, Elkins has decisions over Robert Whiteford, Chas Skelly and Godofredo Pepey leading up to the highlight of his UFC career.
In March, at UFC 209, Elkins spent two rounds getting thoroughly beaten up by Mirsad Bektic. But he never relented, and past the midway point of the third round, on his way to a certain lopsided decision loss, Elkins reached down for a rally, kicked Bektic in the head, then finished him with punches. It was his first stoppage victory in four years and his first bonus in the UFC.
It also is certain to be remembered come the end of 2017, when it no doubt will be in the running for “Comeback of the Year.”
The latest UFC on FOX 25 card now includes:
For more on updates on UFC on FOX 25, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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