Elkins was born in Hobart, Indiana and competed four years in wrestling for Portage High School. Elkins placed seventh in the state of Indiana as a freshman, qualified for the state competition as a sophomore, placed third as a junior, and was a State Champion as a high school senior. Darren also won multiple freestyle state championships as a youth. Elkins then went to college for two years and wrestled at University of Wisconsin Parkside, but did not finish his education at the university nor earn a degree.
Elkins made his UFC debut on the preliminary card of, where he defeated Duane Ludwig via TKO after Ludwig suffered a serious ankle injury after being taken down by Elkins in the first round. His next bout took place on the preliminary card of against Charles Oliveira. Elkins took Oliveira down early, but his opponent quickly attempted a triangle choke. Oliveira then transitioned to an armbar, which forced Elkins to submit. Elkins was expected to face touted prospect Edson Barboza on November 20, 2010, at UFC 123, but Elkins was forced from the card with an injury and replaced by Mike Lullo. Elkins made his Featherweight debut against world ranked Michihiro Omigawa on June 11, 2011, at UFC 131. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Elkins won a unanimous decision over Zhang Tiequan on October 8, 2011, at UFC 136. After several failed guillotine attempts from Zhang, Elkins was able to dominate him from top position including at several points mounting him and pounding away with strikes. Elkins defeated TUF 14 winner Diego Brandão on May 26, 2012, at UFC 146. Elkins utilized his top game with ground and pound to win the second and third rounds, earning him the unanimous decision victory. Elkins fought fellow featherweight prospect Steven Siler on November 17, 2012, at UFC 154. After dominating the fight for three rounds, Elkins was awarded the unanimous decision victory, moving him to 4-0 at featherweight and 5-1 overall in the UFC. Elkins faced Antonio Carvalho on March 16, 2013, at UFC 158. Elkins won via first round TKO stoppage after landing strikes that rocked Carvalho followed by a knockdown, prompting the referee to intervene. After taking virtually no damage in the fight against Carvalho, Elkins made a quick return and faced Chad Mendes on April 20, 2013, at UFC on Fox 7, replacing an injured Clay Guida. He lost the fight by 1st round TKO. Elkins faced Hatsu Hioki on August 28, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 27. After getting hurt by a body kick late in the first round, Elkins rallied in the last two rounds and won the fight via unanimous decision. Elkins faced Jeremy Stephens on January 25, 2014, at UFC on Fox 10. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Elkins was briefly linked to a matchup with Tatsuya Kawajiri on September 20, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 52, but the bout never materialized as Kawajiri was sidelined indefinitely with a detached retina. Elkins faced Lucas Martins on October 25, 2014, at UFC 179. Elkins won the fight via split decision. The scorecards were 30-27, 30-27, 27-30. Elkins faced Hacran Dias on December 20, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 58. Fighting in Brazil for his second straight fight, he lost the fight via unanimous decision, 29-28 across the scorecards. For a third consecutive fight, Elkins appeared on an international card where he faced Robert Whiteford on October 24, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 76. He won the fight via a dominating 30-27 unanimous decision, almost finishing Whiteford on one occasion. Elkins next faced Chas Skelly on March 5, 2016, at UFC 196. He won the fight by a dominating unanimous decision, 30-26, 30-27, 29-27. Elkins faced Godofredo Pepey on July 23, 2016, at UFC on Fox 20. He won the fight via dominating unanimous decision, 30-26, 29-27, 29-27. Elkins faced Mirsad Bektić on March 4, 2017, at UFC 209. After being dominated the first two and a half rounds, Elkins rallied back in the third round and won by knockout due to punches and a head kick. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest comebacks in UFC history. He was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus. Elkins faced Dennis Bermudez on July 22, 2017, at UFC on Fox 25. He won the back-and-forth fight via split decision, 29-28, 29-28, 28-29. Elkins faced Michael Johnson on January 14, 2018, at. He won the fight via rear naked choke submission in round two. The trademark "Damage" weathered a first round storm to complete the comeback and was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus. Elkins faced Alexander Volkanovski on July 14, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 133. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Elkins faced Ricardo Lamas on November 17, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 140. He lost the fight via TKO in the third round. Elkins faced Ryan Hall on July 13, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 13. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Elkins faced Nate Landwehr on May 16, 2020 at. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Championships and accomplishments
Ultimate Fighting Championship
*Performance of the Night vs. Mirsad Bektić and Michael Johnson
*Tied for most fights in the UFC Featherweight division
