No. 12 featherweight Ricardo Lamas (18-7, 5 KOs, 5 SUBs) meets No. 13 Darren Elkins (24-6, 6 KOs, 6 SUBs) at UFC Fight Night 140 on Saturday, November 17, 2018 at the Parque Roca Arena in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The main card airs live on FS1 starting 10pm ET.
You have to really be into MMA to appreciate the matchup between Ricardo Lamas and Darren Elkins this Saturday. Because while neither has a name that will strike recognition with casual fans, both guys have had some very memorable moments inside the octagon.
Until recently, Lamas was a top-5 featherweight - a fighter who until 2017 had only lost to Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes and Mox Holloway. A flash knockout loss to Josh Emmett and a razor-thin split decision defeat to Mirsad Bektic has put the 36-year old onto the first losing streak of his career, and it’s been enough to see his ranking plummet.
Elkins is best known for his 2017 Comeback of the Year against Bektic, where he withstood a hellacious beating for two rounds and still came back with a hail mary knockout win. After eking by Dennis Bermudez in the followup, Elkins again played Captain Comeback against Michael Johnson, getting pieced up by strikes in the first before imposing his wrestling for a second-round RNC.
Make no mistake: both are high-level guys that are better than their rankings imply. And each would be a tough out for any contender in the top 5. You almost never see them in boring fights either. This one should be a lot of fun.
Let’s check in with the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu and see how oddsmakers are calling this. As usual, we’ve got some stats for you to look at, along with our best pick for the scrap. Remember, live UFC betting at BookMaker.eu is available to hedge any bets you make. Now let’s get to it.
UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Darren Elkins
Ricardo Lamas
Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision:
Striking Stats
Significant strikes landed per minute: Lamas 2.73 / Elkins 3.29
Accuracy: Lamas 44.12% / Elkins 37.85%
Significant strikes absorbed per minute: Lamas 2.49 / Elkins 2.69
Defense: Lamas 58.96% / Elkins 54.05%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Lamas 1.55 / Elkins 2.64
Takedown accuracy: Lamas 30.43% / Elkins 2.64
Takedowns defended: Lamas 47.37% / Elkins 60%
Submission average: Lamas 1.11 / Elkins 1.42
Bet on Lamas vs. Elkins at BookMaker.eu
Lamas is one of those guys that does everything well. He’s a former collegiate wrestler and a BJJ black belt. He’s comfortable on the feet, throwing hard shots and mixing up punch-kick combinations well. He’s strong, quick and agile - though at 36 his best days are probably behind him. There’s a reason he’s fought for the title and and was a necessary evil that up-and-comers had to face for years.
Elkins is a true grinder, and his time at Team Alpha Male has helped him improve on his strengths. Though his takedown accuracy isn’t impressive, he is relentless when working on them, chain wrestling nicely through his attempts. Though his striking isn’t pretty, it’s effective enough to consistently get him into the clinch, where he can make things really ugly.
But let’s be honest here: Elkins’ best weapon is his toughness. It takes a bazooka to put this guy out, and he has a real talent for wearing down guys via Homer Simpson method until he can pull out a win. You can’t teach heart, and Elkins has as much as anyone in the UFC.
UFC Odds Pick: Lamas to win at
Here’s the thing with Elkins: he relies on guys to make mistakes. Lamas is too polished to make the the mental errors that’s helped Elkins rejuvenate his career.
UFC Odds Pick: Fight goes to decision
For all of Lamas’ talents, he’s never been an a great finisher. Neither has Elkins - both men have stoppage ratios hovering around 50%, so don’t expect either to overwhelm the other.
Bet on UFC odds at BookMaker.eu
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker sportsbook! Real-time spreads, totals, props and money line are all available so start betting with BookMaker today. UFC Fight Night 140 takes place on Saturday, November 17, 2018 at the Parque Roca Arena in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The main card airs live on FS1 starting 10pm ET.
