UFC Fight Night 27 is the first of many Wednesday cards on the new Fox Sports 1 network platform, but though it comes in the middle of the week, the event features a number of fights that hardcore fight fans should make time to pay attention to. On the undercard there is one particular bout that stands out as important, even though it doesn’t feature two popular names within the division. Featherweights Hatsu Hioki and Darren Elkins are set to square off in a fight that’s vital to the careers of both competitors.
Losses are always tough for fighters on the UFC roster to take, because not getting their hands raised can quickly lead to the unemployment line. And both Hioki and Elkins are coming off of defeats in their most recent outings, though they are still ranked among the top fifteen fighters in the weight class.
Hioki was once considered a top contender to Jose Aldo‘s title, but two losses in his last two bouts have left people wondering if the Japanese star will make any headway in the Octagon. Ricardo Lamas dominated him for three rounds at UFC on FX 4, then he lost a highly controversial decision to Clay Guida at UFC on Fox 6. Elkins was riding a five-fight win streak at featherweight before he stepped up to face Chad Mendes on late notice. The decision to do so proved to be a mistake, as it took Mendes only 68 seconds to finish Elkins off. That costly defeat pushed Elkins down into the preliminary bracket.
Considering the style matchup of Hioki and Elkins, it will be very interesting to see where this fight will be contested. Hioki has very crisp standup skills, which he displayed against Guida, and against Bart Palaszewski back in 2012 at UFC 144. Yet it is his submission skills that have built his career. When a bout hits the mat, his active guard threatens his opponent from multiple positions.
Elkins, who is a very solid wrestler, has the ability to take this fight to the ground, but the question is what will happen when the fight gets there. Hioki was very active from his back against Guida, but judges still decided to give the fight to “The Carpenter” because he was able to hold Hioki down. Elkins has the takedown abilities and strength to do the same exact thing come Wednesday.
However, statistically speaking, Hioki has been more capable than Elkins in both the striking and grappling departments. According to Fight Metric, Elkins lands more shots per minute, but Hioki has been tracked to be more accurate with his attempts. Hioki has also shown the ability to stop 54 percent of all takedowns he has faced, while Elkins only completes 39 percent of the takedowns he attempts.
UFC Fight Night 27 provides an opportunity for either Hatsu Hioki or Darren Elkins to push his name onto the short list of competitors who could establish themselves as title contenders over the final months of 2013, and the early months of 2014. However, the fighter who loses is in dire straits, despite his Top 10 or 15 ranking. That may seem odd, considering how close these fighters are to the title picture, but there is no room for error right now in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
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• Hatsu Hioki vs. Darren Elkins
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UFC Fight Night 27: Kampmann vs. Condit 2 is due to take place on August 28, 2013 at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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