Darren Elkins wanted one last crazy fight before retiring from MMA. Instead, his UFC career ended in a devastating fashion. The 42-year-old walked into the Octagon for the final time on Saturday night at UFC Vegas 120 on the back of 30 UFC fights, going one-on-one with rising featherweight prospect Yadier del Valle in a retirement bout that Elkins had already announced before the matchup was made.

Unfortunately for one of the UFC’s most beloved veterans, the fight barely had time to get going. Del Valle landed a brutal straight left early in the first round that sent Darren Elkins crashing to the canvas, bringing the fight to an abrupt end and leaving the longtime UFC veteran staring at the final loss of his career. And to be fair, it was a heartbreaking way for ‘The Damage’ to end his professional fighting career after dedicating more than 15 years to the fight game.

“Gratitude,” Elkins said in the post-fight interview about how he was feeling after finally laying his gloves down. “I didn’t love how this ended but that’s life. I’m going to keep going. I can’t lose in life. I’m happy.

“This has been a journey, man. I mean, almost 17 years. I never thought I’d still be doing it at 42 years old. I always left in the cage. Sometimes it didn’t go my way, but that’s life. You gotta keep on going. So, don’t ever give up on yourself. Keep going.”

And what makes this feel even worse is the fact that the decision to retire wasn’t exactly a sudden one. The 42-year-old had already admitted that his body was starting to make decisions for him.

“I’m older in age now, but mostly I’m starting to get hurt a little bit more often,” Elkins told MMA Fighting before the fight. “Getting to train all the time is taking more of a toll on my body than used to, so it’s time.”

Still, ‘The Damage’ wanted to leave on his own terms. Rather than quietly announcing his retirement on social media after being released or simply choosing not to return to the Octagon, the 42-year-old wanted to hang up his gloves inside the Octagon after one last battle. And while he received his wish, it just wasn’t the finish he wanted.

With this heartbreaking defeat, he concludes his MMA career with 42 fights and a 19-12 promotional record dating back to his debut in 2010.

It is worth noting that his career had already survived times when retirement seemed closer than ever. After losing to Hacran Dias in Brazil in 2014, Darren Elkins almost gave up before switching camps and winning six fights in a row, including wins over Dennis Bermudez and Michael Johnson.

Alexander Volkanovski eventually put an end to that streak, but ‘The Damage’ continued for years, establishing himself as one of the toughest and most entertaining veterans on the roster. That toughness was also why the showdown against del Valle was always going to be intriguing.

“I expected when I said I was going to a retirement fight that I was going to probably be a younger guy,” he said about his fight. “I’m one of the older guys in the division, so it’s going to be a younger guy and probably a pretty tough guy because they know when I’m in the Octagon, it’s going to be a crazy fight.”

It certainly was a crazy fight. Just nowhere near as long as Darren Elkins or his fans wanted.

Fans devastated as Darren Elkins’ final UFC fight ends in 30 seconds

The reaction online was overwhelmingly emotional, with fans struggling to watch one of the UFC’s most recognisable veterans get knocked out in his final appearance.

After all, with this, Elkins joins the list of fighters such as Jorge Masvidal, Donald Cerrone, and Henry Cejudo, some of the legendary fighters who lost their final fights inside the Octagon.

“Damn I felt terrible seeing that 😭,” one viewer wrote. Another simply said, “Man. That was just sad.”

The speed of the stoppage made the moment even more difficult for some fans to accept, “Why let the guy fight if they’re gonna end it with the first strike.” Another viewer added, “That was honestly horrible to see. Elkins such a good dude too.”

Others focused on what Elkins had given the sport throughout his career. “Win, lose or draw, Darren Elkins always came to fight. Devastating loss in his final fight in the UFC. Will always remember Darren for his amazing bloody scraps,” a fan wrote. One fan couldn’t believe how quickly it ended, “Aint no way Elkins got slept in his retirement fight in 30 seconds.”

The matchmaking also came under fire. “UFC should be ashamed of letting that fight go on 💀,” one viewer wrote. Another argued, “UFC didn’t give him a winnable fight on the way out. Shameful matchmaking tbh.”

“Trash a– matchmaking,” another fan bluntly added.

The harshest reactions were aimed at the decision to send Elkins into a final fight against such a dangerous younger opponent. One fan wrote, “Poor Darren Elkins, the false hope given to him at a geriatric 42 years old by anybody surrounding him is genuinely sad.”

And perhaps the simplest summary came from another disappointed fan: “They fed my boy Elkins to a lion! Dang!”

After 30 UFC fights, countless wars, and years of earning fans’ respect, Darren Elkins’ final walk ended much sooner than anyone had expected. But if there was one thing that remained constant throughout his career, it’s that Darren Elkins was always willing to step into the fire.