UFC 158 is live from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
While much of the talk leading up to Saturday night has been about UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz, fans will be talking about Darren Elkins and Antonio Carvalho for all the wrong reasons.
Although Elkins picked up a KO victory, it may be thanks to an early stoppage by referee Yves Lavigne.
What we’ll remember about this fight
Sadly, we will remember this fight for the early stoppage by Yves Lavigne. Before that, it was a pretty good back-and-forth fight with Elkins getting the better of the clinch game and Carvalho connecting with left hooks. With less than two minutes left in the first round, Elkins landed a hard right hand that rocked Carvalho. Elkins landed a few more shots that dropped Carvalho, but instead of giving Carvalho a chance to fight back, Lavigne stopped the fight.
What we learned from Carvalho
Despite getting caught and losing the fight, Carvalho looked all right in the fight. He showed good patience in picking his shots and defended the takedown well. Sadly for Carvalho, he was on the receiving end of a heavy-handed Elkins and a trigger-happy Yves Lavigne.
What we learned from Elkins
Although he will take it, Elkins can thank Lavigne for part of his win. He had Carvalho hurt badly and was about to finish the fight on his own, but Lavigne stopped it. Despite the controversy, Elkins proved once again that he can take a shot and dish out punishment.
What’s next for Carvalho
With the loss, Carvalho is now 2-2 in the UFC. There are many great fights for him at featherweight, but one against Nam Phan could be an exciting one.
What’s next for Elkins
With this win, Elkins has won five straight fights in the UFC featherweight division. Although he may not be ready for the very best of the division just yet, he could be ready for a step up in competition. Experienced fighter Nik Lentz is coming off a victory against Diego Nunes and could be a good test for Elkins.
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