Hacran Dias on ‘boring’ Darren Elkins: ‘He basically doesn’t do anything in his fights’

RIO DE JANEIRO — Darren Elkins has won seven out of nine fights since cutting down to the featherweight division, but Hacran Dias is not a fan of his fighting style.

Elkins, who recently defeated Lucas Martins at UFC 179 in Rio de Janeiro on Oct. 25, returns to Brazil on Dec. 20 to face Dias at UFC Fight Night 58 in Barueri, Sao Paulo, and the Nova Uniao fighter expects Elkins to do what he always does.

“I will be aggressive all the time. My goal is not let him do his game,” Dias said. “I’ve seen his fights, and his game is always the same. He fights using the rules, takes you down close to the fence and does nothing, and my goal is to stop his game. He did that against (Lucas Martins), and everybody saw a boring fight. He basically doesn’t do anything in his fights.”

Dias hasn’t won a fight since his UFC debut in 2012. The Brazilian fighter knows his back is against the wall after consecutive decision losses to Nik Lentz and Ricardo Lamas, but being 1-2 in the UFC is not on his mind.

“I got rid of that pressure,” “Barnabe” said. “I always fought top level opponents, and I think I could have fought more to get some experience first. I lost my fights by details.”

Dias’ only win inside the Octagon came against Iuri Alcantara. After that bout, he was booked to meet former title contender Chad Mendes and Japanese star Tatsuya Kawajiri, but had to withdraw with injuries.

The Nova Uniao featherweight believes that facing tough competition since entering the UFC is the reason why he’s 1-2.

“If I had started facing guys from the bottom instead of top contenders… I’m not complaining, fighting the best was good for me, but I think I lacked some experience to get the wins,” Dias said. “Ever since I got in the UFC, they are giving me fights against tough opponents. I only fought well-ranked guys. But that’s great, even if I’m coming off two losses. I’m training hard for almost three months so there’s no risk and I come out with the win.”

RIO DE JANEIRO — Darren Elkins has won seven out of nine fights since cutting down to the featherweight division, but Hacran Dias is not a fan of his fighting style.

Elkins, who recently defeated Lucas Martins at UFC 179 in Rio de Janeiro on Oct. 25, returns to Brazil on Dec. 20 to face Dias at UFC Fight Night 58 in Barueri, Sao Paulo, and the Nova Uniao fighter expects Elkins to do what he always does.

“I will be aggressive all the time. My goal is not let him do his game,” Dias said. “I’ve seen his fights, and his game is always the same. He fights using the rules, takes you down close to the fence and does nothing, and my goal is to stop his game. He did that against (Lucas Martins), and everybody saw a boring fight. He basically doesn’t do anything in his fights.”

Dias hasn’t won a fight since his UFC debut in 2012. The Brazilian fighter knows his back is against the wall after consecutive decision losses to Nik Lentz and Ricardo Lamas, but being 1-2 in the UFC is not on his mind.

“I got rid of that pressure,” “Barnabe” said. “I always fought top level opponents, and I think I could have fought more to get some experience first. I lost my fights by details.”

Dias’ only win inside the Octagon came against Iuri Alcantara. After that bout, he was booked to meet former title contender Chad Mendes and Japanese star Tatsuya Kawajiri, but had to withdraw with injuries.

The Nova Uniao featherweight believes that facing tough competition since entering the UFC is the reason why he’s 1-2.

“If I had started facing guys from the bottom instead of top contenders… I’m not complaining, fighting the best was good for me, but I think I lacked some experience to get the wins,” Dias said. “Ever since I got in the UFC, they are giving me fights against tough opponents. I only fought well-ranked guys. But that’s great, even if I’m coming off two losses. I’m training hard for almost three months so there’s no risk and I come out with the win.”