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Darren Elkins explains decision to retire after UFC Vegas 120, rules out going to BKFC: ‘I’d probably die’

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19 hours ago

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Darren Elkins explains decision to retire after UFC Vegas 120, rules out going to BKFC: ‘I’d probably die’

“A warrior who never gave up on himself,†Darren Elkins enters the octagon for the final time Saturday night to face Yadier del Valle in his retirement bout at UFC Vegas 120. Elkins announced this would be his “last dance†when the promotion revealed the matchup, and he explained his decision during media day Wednesday.

“I'm older in age now, but mostly I'm starting to get hurt a little bit more often,†Elkins said. “Getting to train all the time is taking more of a toll on my body than used to, so it's time. I mean, I've been contemplating it for a while and I just talked to my family, worked it all out. I'm like, you know what? I've always wanted to lay my gloves in the octagon and do it where most people don't get that chance, right? They either get cut, or they just have to say on social media that they retired. I wanted to be in the moment, be able to lay my gloves down and ride off the sunset.â€

Elkins said it wasn't “that tough†of a decision considering the damage he's put his body through after competing 30 times under the UFC banner since 2010 for a promotional record of 19-11, but feels “blessed to be still doing something I love to do.â€

“Man, it's been fun,†Elkins said. “There's been some downs, there's been some ups, but dang, I never thought I'd be doing this for a living for this long. It was cool just to see the evolution of the game and be a part of the evolution, right? I started over 16 years ago and the reason why I'm still here is because I kept on evolving my game, so I can be proud about it. I've seen a lot of guys that stop evolving and that's when I usually get kicked out of the UFC, they start losing. I knew how to entertain, put on entertaining fights and keep evolving.â€

The 42-year-old veteran admitted he considered retirement in the past, especially after losing to Hacran Dias in Brazil back in 2014, but followed the advice to switch teams and that led to a six-fight winning streak against the likes of Dennis Bermudez and Michael Johnson, snapped only by future UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Elkins revealed he's interested in staying active in forms of competition that don't include punches and kicks to the face, like wrestling for RAF, but promised his wife he wouldn't even consider stepping into a ring for bare-knuckle boxing matches.

“I'd probably die,†Elkins said with a laugh when asked about BKFC. “My MMA fights are bloody. Could you imagine me in that? No. I promised my wife I wouldn't even look at that place [laughs].â€

Elkins' final UFC bout comes against the much younger del Valle, a 10-1 talent who was 10 years old when Elkins made his pro MMA debut in Chicago. “The Cuban Problem†dropped a decision to Jordan Leavitt in his most recent appearance after scoring back-to-back first-round rear-naked choke finishes over Connor Matthews and Isaac Dulgarian in his first UFC bouts.

“This is the UFC, there's not going to be any favors, you know?†Elkins said of the matchup. “I expected it. I mean, I've always knew what the game was. I think that's the thing why I never got surprised is I knew what the game was about. You got to go out there and do your job. That's any place you work for. If you're not doing your job, you're not doing it at a high level, they can get rid of you at any time.

“I expected when I said I was going be a retirement fight that I was going to probably be a younger guy. I'm one of the older guys in the division, so it's going to be a younger guy and probably a pretty tough guy because they know when I'm in the octagon, it's going to be a crazy fight.â€

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MMA

Conor McGregor announces fifth career surgery following UFC 329 injury

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1 hour ago

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August 7, 2026

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Conor McGregor announces fifth career surgery following UFC 329 injury
Conor
McGregor is heading back to the operating room.

The former two-division
Ultimate Fighting Championship king announced that he is
preparing to undergo surgery after suffering ACL and meniscus
injuries in his rematch with Max
Holloway at
UFC 329.

Conor McGregor's ACL and meniscus injuries from the Max
Holloway rematch force another surgery ahead of his UFC return
plans.

McGregor damaged his ACL and meniscus with the first kick he threw
at UFC 329. After struggling to plant his feet while throwing
strikes and repeatedly falling to the canvas, the referee stopped
the bout after just 69 seconds.“Notorious†is now headed for
another surgery, the fifth surgery of his career.

“Well folks, here we go again! Surgery number 5 of my career coming
up!†McGregor wrote on Instagram. “All things considered that is an
ok number! Let’s do it, WE GOT THIS!â€

Notably, McGregor suffered the same ACL and meniscus injuries in
his other knee during his first bout with Holloway in 2013, which
he won by decision. He took nearly a year to return from that
injury. McGregor's other major in-cage injury was an infamous leg
break in his trilogy bout against Dustin
Poirier, which was followed by a nearly five-year UFC
hiatus.

McGregor has one fight remaining on his UFC contract and expects to
complete it next year. The Irishman previously stated that he's
eyeing an Octagon return for next summer, with International Fight
Week 2027 as his target.

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Usman Nurmagomedov bet on himself; now the UFC question begins

Published

2 hours ago

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August 7, 2026

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Usman Nurmagomedov bet on himself; now the UFC question begins

Usman
Nurmagomedov is currently the most sought-after free agent in
mixed martial arts.

His manager, Ali Abdelaziz, recently discussed Nurmagomedov's
contract situation, claiming that the
Professional Fighters League did not offer the unbeaten
lightweight champion a new contract before the final bout of his
deal.

Usman Nurmagomedov's PFL departure creates intrigue around UFC,
Dana White and Khabib Nurmagomedov involvement

Nurmagomedov (22-0) completed the final fight of his PFL contract
at the promotion's July 31 event, where he scored a first-round
knockout victory over Archie
Colgan. Abdelaziz has now revealed that the promotion had the
opportunity to re-sign him ahead of
PFL New York.

“Listen, the truth of the matter is PFL had an opportunity to sign
him before the fight,†Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie. “And you know how
much I love PFL… They’re great people. PFL always gives an
opportunity for people and they don’t get enough credit.â€

According to Abdelaziz, Nurmagomedov chose to complete his contract
rather than negotiate a new deal before the fight.

“Usman took a risk,†the veteran manager said. “He could have went
out there and lost. Archie could have beaten him. He took a risk.
He gambled on himself and he won.â€

Abdelaziz then confirmed that PFL has a 90-day exclusive
negotiating window after Nurmagomedov's last bout, following which
they'll assess their options.

“In the next 90 days, they have an exclusive negotiation,â€
Abdelaziz added. “After that, I’m going to talk to other people and
we’ll figure it out.â€

Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana
White previously hinted that the UFC is interested in
Nurmagomedov. However, Abdelaziz downplayed the chances of a UFC
move, claiming that negotiations and Khabib
Nurmagomedov's approval are pending.

“It's not like 100% he’s leaving and going to the UFC. It doesn’t
work like that,†Abdelaziz concluded. “It has to be a lot of
decisions. I have to negotiate, he has to like it, Khabib has to
sign off on it and this is how we work.”

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MMA

Allan Nascimento funeral: Charles Oliveira makes emotional promise

Published

4 hours ago

on

August 7, 2026

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Allan Nascimento funeral: Charles Oliveira makes emotional promise
Charles
Oliveira has vowed that Allan
Nascimento's legacy will live on through
Chute Boxe following the death of his longtime teammate.

Wednesday, Aug. 5, marked a solemn day for the Brazilian gym as
members of the Chute Boxe family gathered to pay their final
respects to Nascimento. Teammates and coaches formed a guard of
honor and applauded as Nascimento's casket was carried by members
of the academy.

Charles Oliveira says Chute Boxe will keep Allan Nascimento’s
legacy alive

After Nascimento's funeral, Oliveira shared an emotional message on
his Instagram Stories while fighting back tears. The former
lightweight champion and current BMF titleholder promised that
Nascimento's impact would continue to inspire the team.

“Allanzito, you were always an example of commitment, discipline
and character to our team,†Oliveira said. “Be sure your legacy
will never be forgotten. Now we have something even greater to
fight for. Every time we step into the cage, you will be there with
us, yelling ‘Heeyyy.' The spirit of Chute Boxe has only grown
stronger.â€

Nascimento died after suffering a heart attack in his sleep. He was
34 years old. “Puro Osso†signed with the
Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2021, competing in the
flyweight division. He had won four of his six Octagon appearances
before his death.


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