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The news first came from MMA Junkie on Friday that Darren Elkins (25-9) and Darrick Minner (26-11) will come to blows on the UFC Fight Night event on July 24. This unnamed event is likely to go down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, although the promotion may decide to book it inside a different venue in the future. Both Minner and Elkins have confirmed this pairing on their respective Instagram accounts.
Elkins put an end to the only losing streak of his career by tapping out Luiz Eduardo Garagorri in November late into the third round. Before earning his first win since 2018, “The Damage” dropped four consecutive bouts to Alexander Volkanovski, Ricardo Lamas, Ryan Hall and Nate Landwehr. Prior to that skid, Elkins put together an unlikely six-fight win streak, notching victories over names like Michael Johnson, Mirsad Bektic and Dennis Bermudez.
After dropping his UFC debut to Grant Dawson by submission, Minner has come back to rattle off two impressive wins. In September 2020, Minner became the first man to submit T.J. Laramie, and he rebounded with an impressive unanimous decision showing over Charles Rosa in February. The Nebraska native sports a finish rate of over 88 percent, and 30 of his 37 career bouts have ended by submission, win or lose.
The UFC Fight Night card on July 24 will most likely be staged at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, with an all-action bantamweight battle between Cory Sandhagen and T.J. Dillashaw serving as the headliner. Additional noteworthy matches include a bantamweight tilt between Aspen Ladd and Macy Chiasson, as well as a strawweight encounter between Maycee Barber and Miranda Maverick.