Yadier del Valle defeats Darren Elkins by KO/TKO
Elkins vs del Valle — Featherweight · UFC Fight Night
What happened
The result, the defining moments, and what the verdict means.
Del Valle defended the first takedown attempt and landed a knee to the head.
A short left hook wobbled Elkins on the break before a second left hand dropped him.
The referee stopped the fight at 0:35 of round one.
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Who Called It?
How the analysts' picks held up once the cage door closed.
Analyst picks: Bedtime MMA called it; HopperoMMA called it; The MMA Guru perfect call; We Want Picks called it; Half The Battle perfect call; DFS By The Numbers perfect call; Michael Chiesa called it; AJ perfect call; KennyOkoyeMMA called it; TheWeasle called it; MMAPREDICTIONGURU missed.
10 of 11 nailed it · 4 nailed the finish ★.
The experts above are a lens, not credentials we conferred — analyst, fighter or betting desk.
Full analyst picks ↓
Bedtime MMA Analyst called 67 of 99 Bedtime MMA: predicted del Valle · Sub · R1. Actual del Valle · KO/TKO R1. Result: Hit.
Thinks Elkins should be retired and that the younger, more durable del Valle takes him down and finishes it early.
Track record: winner called in 67 of 99 resolved picks, 28 a perfect call.
HopperoMMA Analyst called 41 of 65 HopperoMMA: predicted del Valle · Sub · R1. Actual del Valle · KO/TKO R1. Result: Hit.
Expects del Valle to take Elkins down and submit him, citing the knockout loss to Erosa as evidence Elkins no longer belongs at this level.
Track record: winner called in 41 of 65 resolved picks, 15 a perfect call.
The MMA Guru Analyst called 44 of 65 The MMA Guru: predicted del Valle · KO/TKO · R1. Actual del Valle · KO/TKO R1. Result: Perfect call.
Reads del Valle as a heavy favourite with every incentive to chase a highlight finish early.
Track record: winner called in 44 of 65 resolved picks, 16 a perfect call.
We Want Picks Betting desk called 55 of 87 We Want Picks: predicted del Valle · to win. Actual del Valle · KO/TKO R1. Result: Hit.
Takes del Valle on Elkins being too old and slow with a chin compromised by the Erosa loss, but commits to no method.
Track record: winner called in 55 of 87 resolved picks.
Half The Battle Analyst called 33 of 48 Half The Battle: predicted del Valle · KO/TKO. Actual del Valle · KO/TKO R1. Result: Perfect call.
Sees del Valle's grappling and striking plus his youth overwhelming a 42-year-old Elkins.
Track record: winner called in 33 of 48 resolved picks, 7 a perfect call.
DFS By The Numbers Betting deskAnalyst called 60 of 88 DFS By The Numbers: predicted del Valle · KO/TKO · R1. Actual del Valle · KO/TKO R1. Result: Perfect call.
Calls this the easiest matchup on the card for the favourite and wants the first-round knockout specifically.
Track record: winner called in 60 of 88 resolved picks, 23 a perfect call.
Michael Chiesa AnalystFighter called 29 of 42 Michael Chiesa: predicted del Valle · to win. Actual del Valle · KO/TKO R1. Result: Hit.
Backs del Valle's judo and grappling base to outclass a declining Elkins, without naming a method.
Track record: winner called in 29 of 42 resolved picks, 1 a perfect call.
AJ Betting deskAnalyst called 52 of 71 AJ: predicted del Valle · KO/TKO. Actual del Valle · KO/TKO R1. Result: Perfect call.
Expects a finish either from ground-and-pound or on the feet, and deliberately leaves the round open.
Track record: winner called in 52 of 71 resolved picks, 25 a perfect call.
KennyOkoyeMMA Analyst called 22 of 28 KennyOkoyeMMA: predicted del Valle · to win. Actual del Valle · KO/TKO R1. Result: Hit.
Reads it as primarily a striking fight that Elkins is more likely to get caught in.
Track record: winner called in 22 of 28 resolved picks, 3 a perfect call.
TheWeasle Analyst called 34 of 48 TheWeasle: predicted del Valle · Sub · R2. Actual del Valle · KO/TKO R1. Result: Hit.
Points to the athleticism and footwork gap plus Elkins's long layoff, and expects a second-round submission.
Track record: winner called in 34 of 48 resolved picks, 14 a perfect call.
MMAPREDICTIONGURU AnalystBetting desk called 15 of 25 MMAPREDICTIONGURU: predicted Elkins · Decision. Actual del Valle · KO/TKO R1. Result: Miss.
Goes against the grain, doubting del Valle's finishing equity and durability, and backs Elkins to win a decision.
Track record: winner called in 15 of 25 resolved picks, 7 a perfect call.
Archive Pre-fight material — kept for transparency.
- 3.40 4.05
- 51% 55%
- 3.34 2.16
- 56% 58%
- 52% 60%
- 29-12-0
- Record
- 10-1-0
- 3-2 last 5
- Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
- 4-1 last 5
- Orthodox
- StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
- Southpaw
- —
- Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
- —
- United States
- Nationality
- Cuba
- Team Alpha Male
- Team
- Main Street Boxing and Muay Thai
Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Numbers reflect records coming into fight night. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.
Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in
Case for Elkins
Elkins carries a 29-12 record into this one and is 3-2 across his last five, the deeper sample by a wide margin. Fourteen of his twenty-nine wins went to a decision, so the long, attritional version of this fight is the one his record is built on. At 42 he is twelve years older than his opponent.
Case for del Valle
Del Valle is 10-1 and 4-1 across his last five, so the only defeat of his professional career is also the most recent thing on it. Six of his ten wins ended inside the distance — four by submission, two by knockout — and at 30 he is the fresher fighter by twelve years. Elkins's most recent outing ended in a first-round TKO loss to Julian Erosa.
What We Were Watching For
- Whether Elkins takes early pressure cleanly after a first-round TKO loss last time out.
- How del Valle responds to the first adversity since the only loss of his career.
- Whether Elkins can make the fight long and awkward, where his experience edge is largest.
- How a twelve-year age gap reads in the third round.
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