An absolute grinder, Elkins immediately became the featherweight
division’s spoiler upon dropping down to 145 pounds in 2011. He
would consistently rely on his inhuman ability to absorb punishment
to outlast younger, more talented prospects and drag them into some
absolutely hideous fights. Elkins’ approach figured to catch up to
him at some point, but instead, he eventually rattled off six
straight wins—including an all-time comeback against Mirsad
Bektic—to become a legitimate title contender, only for that
momentum to come crashing to a halt against future champion and
all-time great Alexander
Volkanovski. That seemed to coincide with the wheels entirely
falling off for Elkins, who then went on a four-fight losing
streak. However, “The Damage” has found his level since, winning
three out of four and proving that while he is clearly diminished,
he still has something left in the tank at 38 years of age. It is
still difficult to beat Elkins at his own grinding game, which
makes this an interesting matchup for Pearce, who has taken the
torch as the latest all-relentlessness, no-defense fighter to rise
through the featherweight ranks. It is even more stunning in
retrospect that Pearce’s UFC debut went as poorly as it did. Up at
lightweight, “JSP” found himself suddenly overwhelmed by a
past-his-prime Joe Lauzon and
finished in just 93 seconds. After taking over a year off and
returning as an oversized featherweight, Pearce has looked
excellent. Like Elkins, Pearce relies greatly on his durability,
but he has been able to leverage it and his aggression into
non-stop wrestling and grappling exchanges where he can eventually
overwhelm his opponents. Even better for Pearce, he has shown some
strong finishing ability once his opponents get tired, finding a
second-round stoppage in three of the fights on his current
four-fight winning streak. Both men are going to get the grimy
fight that they want. Historically, that has been a fight Elkins
wins, and he could still do so, as Pearce is far from a bulletproof
defensive wrestler and grappler. Still, size, youth, athleticism
and offensive potency are all in Pearce’s favor, so he almost has
to be the lean. The pick is Pearce via decision.
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