Darren Elkins Is Okay Being the Bad Guy and Underdog at UFC Fight Night 140

Darren Elkins spoke with MMAjunkie ahead of his fight with Ricardo Lamas at UFC Fight Night 140. Highlights are below:

On fighting Lamas in Argentina: “Coming all the way to Argentina to fight each other is kinda funny. I figured maybe they’d put us on (UFC on FOX 31 in Milwaukee) or something, but it is a great opportunity, and I am excited to be here. But I am a little bit surprised.”

On being surrounded by people he knows on the card: “It’s awesome. We have four or five people from Team Alpha Male fighting on this card. We got a bunch of coaches out here. It’s a great atmosphere when the whole team is out here.”

On Lamas: “He’s a great fighter, he’s been at the top for a long time, and this is a fight that is going to be a great fight to watch. He’s exciting to watch, he comes forward and throws down, and I do the same thing. This is a fight I’ve been looking forward to for a long time, and I am just excited to come here and put on a show and do my thing.”

On coming in as the underdog: “If you look at the odds, I am like the underdog in a lot of my fights, and I win most of those fights. When you put me against the fans, that’s when I am most deadly. That’s when I want to bite back. I expect the fans to be on his side. I am sure he’s going to come out and get a big cheer, maybe they’ll boo me a little bit, but I feed off of negative energy, positive energy. I mean, I prefer negative energy. That pumps me up a little bit more, actually. If I am the bad guy, I am OK being the bad guy.”

On his gameplan for the fight: “I got to mix it up, man. I gotta keep him guessing, I have to wrestle him, use jiu-jitsu, I really need to mix it up well and keep Lamas guessing. I know what he does well, and he knows what I do well, so it should be exciting.”

On his inspiration for the fight: “This is a sport that has ups and downs, and when I am down that’s when I fight at my best. I hate losing, and I go right back to the gym and start fixing things. You got to forget those losses, but you got to remember what happened and work on the things that were wrong, and that’s what I think you’re going to see on Saturday. I think I am going to show what’s up.”