Elkins, Alcantara highlight UFC 209 prelims with stunning comeback wins

Featherweight Bout: Darren Elkins def. Mirsad Bektic via 3rd-round KO

Darren Elkins turned one of the ugliest performances of his career into the year's most stunning comeback.

"The Damage" picked the perfect time to record his first knockout in four years when he finished Mirsad Bektic with strikes to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Watch: Elkins rallies in 3rd round for shocking KO of Bektic

Bektic had never been defeated before and it looked like he was cruising to his 12th victory before being clobbered at the 3:19 mark of Round 3. He'd taken Elkins down early and often and bloodied him up with a fierce onslaught of ground-and-pound through the first two rounds, leaving Elkins with the proverbial crimson mask.

However, Elkins stayed busy with submission attempts that kept Bektic working, and he never appeared to check out of the fight even as he fell way behind on the scorecards. That resolve paid off when he scored the late KO for his 12th UFC victory.

Elkins is now tied with interim champion Max Holloway for the most featherweight wins inside the Octagon.

The 26-year-old Bektic sees his UFC record drop to 4-1.

Bantamweight Bout: Iuri Alcantara def. Luke Sanders via 2nd-round submission (kneebar)

Never count Iuri Alcantara out of a fight.

After miraculously surviving a hellacious beating in the first round, the crafty veteran capitalized on a scramble to stun Luke Sanders with a kneebar at the 3:13 mark of the second round.

Watch: Alcantara pulls off miraculous comeback with sneaky kneebar

Alcantara paid for his recklessness in short order, as Sanders countered an ill-advised kick with a takedown. The 31-year-old then proceeded to rain shot after shot on the Brazilian's noggin from there, with Alcantara showing just enough signs of life to keep referee Marc Goddard from waving the bout off.

Sanders oddly interrupted his storm of fists to crack Alcantara with a clearly illegal knee that cost him a point, but that didn't deter him from replicating his formula in Round 2. After eating another barrage of ground-and-pound, "Marajo" valiantly made it back to his feet, rolled for Sanders' leg and didn't loosen his grip until the 31-year-old had tapped.

The comeback tapout marked Alcantara's second straight win and improved his UFC record to 9-4, while Sanders fell to 11-1 as a pro in his first fight in more than 400 days.

Heavyweight Bout: Marcin Tybura def. Luis Henrique via 3rd-round TKO

Marcin Tybura had to dig deep to earn his second straight victory.

After a pair of grueling, clinch-heavy rounds, the 31-year-old put Luis Henrique on his back and rained strikes on him from full mount for the stoppage at the 3:46 mark of Round 3.

The heavyweights made it a grappling-heavy affair in no time, as Tybura secured the first round with a takedown and top control, and Henrique evened it up at a stanza apiece by grinding the Pole against the cage and scoring a takedown of his own.

The duo engaged in a clinch again in the final frame after Tybura had found some success on the feet, and once he worked his way out of Henrique's attempt at a guillotine choke, "Tybur" put the Brazilian back on his hind parts before passing to full mount and raining shots on him for the finish.

Tybura's second straight stoppage win improves his UFC record to 2-1, while Henrique's two-fight win streak was snapped as his promotional slate drops to an even 2-2. All three of the Brazilian's career losses have come by way of knockout.

Heavyweight Bout: Mark Godbeer def. Daniel Spitz via unanimous decision

Forced to go past the second round for the first time, Mark Godbeer found a way to win.

Godbeer won a unanimous decision over short-notice replacement Daniel Spitz in a sloppy heavyweight fight to kick off the UFC 209 preliminaries.

The win moved Godbeer's record to an even 1-1, after he was submitted by Justin Ledet in his UFC debut last November. His previous 11 victories all came by way of knockout or submission.

"The Hand of" Godbeer came out swinging early, throwing some wild 1-2 combinations while absorbing jabs from the 6-foot-7 Spitz. Once he started to target Spitz's body, the taller fighter visibly wilted, and, by the end of the second round, he was sucking wind.

Unfortunately for Godbeer, he was also almost beet red as the third round progressed, and was unable to land a finishing blow. However, he consistently backed his opponent up against the cage and battered him with punches, hurting a tired Spitz, who was stepping in on two weeks' notice to replace Todd Duffee.

It's Spitz's first career loss, after he put together a 5-0 record on the regional scene.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)