Kyle Alexander Daukaus (; born February 27, 1993) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who competed in the

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. He is the younger brother of fellow

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

fighter

Chris Daukaus Chris Daukaus (; born September 25, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist and former police officer who competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the older brother of former UFC fighter Kyle Daukaus. ...

Background

Daukaus was raised in Northeast Philly in the Tacony neighborhood, where he still lives and trains. When he was younger, Daukaus and his older brother

would watch UFC fights together and then grapple with each other in their basement. Eventually, the brothers entered a grappling tournament, where both would finish second, despite having minimal formal training. The Daukaus brothers decided to take up MMA soon after, and both are now fighters in the UFC. After high school, Kyle weighed approximately 260 pounds, and his MMA coach suggested that he needed to take heavyweight bouts. Kyle would have a back-and-forth amateur fighting career, going 5-5 in his bouts. He would eventually drop down from 205 pounds to fight at 185 pounds, where he currently competes in the UFC's middleweight division.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Making his MMA debut at AFL 53, he faced Dino Juklo, submitting him via rear-naked choke in the first round. Daukaus would also to submit his next five opponents in Tyler Bayer, Kyle Walker, Elijah Gboille, Dustin Long, culminating in submitting Jonavin Webb via brabo choke at CFFC 72. At Dana White's Contender Series 18 he took on Michael Lombardo and defeated him via unanimous decision to pick up his first and only decision win at that point as a professional. In the co-main event of CFFC 78, Daukaus submitted Stephen Regman in the second round via brabo choke. At CFFC 81 he tapped out Nolan Norwood via brabo choke in round two.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Daukaus made his UFC debut as a short notice injury replacement for

Ian Heinisch Ian Edward Heinisch (born August 5, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2015, he has also competed for the World Series of Fightin ...

against

Brendan Allen Brendan Allen (born December 28, 1995) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2015, he has also competed for the Legacy Fighting Alliance w ...

on June 27, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Daukaus faced

Dustin Stoltzfus Dustin Stoltzfus (born November 15, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Stoltzfus grew up in the Pennsylvania Dutch community outside of Ronks, Pe ...

on November 21, 2020 at

UFC 255 ''UFC 255: Figueiredo vs. Perez'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 21, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United ...

. After dominating the bout, he won it via unanimous decision. Daukaus was scheduled to face Aliskhab Khizriev on April 10, 2021 at UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland. However, the bout was pulled from the card on April 7 due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

protocols. Daukaus faced

Phil Hawes Phillip Nicholas Fitzgerald Hawes (born January 8, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Hawes started out as a standout wrestler, winning a national ...

on May 8, 2021 at UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs. Waterson. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. As the first bout of his new four-fight contract, Daukaus faced

Kevin Holland Kevin Alan Holland (born November 5, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2015, Holland has also competed for ...

on October 2, 2021 at

UFC Fight Night 193 ''UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 193'', ''UFC Vegas 38'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 51'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 2, 2021 at the UFC ...

. A clash of heads early into the fight knocked Holland unconscious briefly, but he continued to fight and was eventually submitted by Daukaus via a standing rear-naked choke. However, referee Dan Miragliotta reviewed the footage via replay and it was deemed the head clash led to the sequence of events resulting in Daukaus' win. Therefore, the fight was declared a no contest after the accidental headbutt. The rematch of the pair was scheduled on November 13, 2021 at

UFC Fight Night 197 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. However, Holland withdrew from the bout due to injury and was replaced by

Roman Dolidze Roman Dolidze (born July 15, 1988) is a Georgian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2016, Dolidze was the former World Warriors Figh ...

. In turn, the bout was scrapped due to

protocols related to Dolidze’s camp. Daukaus was scheduled to face

Julian Marquez Julian Felipe Marquez (born May 8, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Marquez was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, a ...

on February 19, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 201 ''UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Hill'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 201'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 59'' and ''UFC Vegas 48'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 19, 2022, at the UFC ...

. However, Marquez was pulled from the event for undisclosed reasons, and he was replaced by

Jamie Pickett Jamie Russell Pickett (born August 29, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Pickett lived with his grandparents growing up in Chinquapin, North Carol ...

. He won the fight via D'Arce choke submission in the first round. The win earned Daukaus his first ''

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

'' bonus award. Daukaus was rescheduled to face

on June 18, 2022 at

UFC on ESPN 37 ''UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Emmett'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 37'' and ''UFC Austin'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 18, 2022 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, United ...

. He lost the fight via knockout in round one. Daukaus faced

Eryk Anders Eryk Ryan Anders (born April 21, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former American football linebacker. He competes in the Middleweight division of the UFC. He played college football at the University of Alabama. Early ...

on December 3, 2022 at

UFC on ESPN 42 ''UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 42'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 3, 2022, at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, United States. Backg ...

. He lost the bout via TKO stoppage in the second round. It was announced in late January 2023 that Daukaus was released by the UFC.

Championships and accomplishments

(One time) *

Cage Fury Fighting Championships Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion primarily operating in the Northeastern United States. Founded by Felix and Amy Martinez, they promoted their first shows in Atlantic City, New Jersey, la ...

** Cage Fury Middleweight Championship (One time) ***Two successful title defenses

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 11–4 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:45 ,

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–3 (1) ,

, KO (knee and punches) , UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Emmett , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:13 ,

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 (1) ,

, Submission (brabo choke) , UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Hill , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:59 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 10–2 (1) ,

, NC (accidental clash of heads) , UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:43 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs. Waterson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Nolan Norwood , Submission (brabo choke) , CFFC 81: Sabatini vs. Gonzalez , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:36 ,

Bensalem, Pennsylvania Bensalem Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The township borders the northeastern section of Philadelphia and includes the communities of Andalusia, Bensalem, Bridgewater, Cornwells Heights, Eddington, Flushing, Oakford, Sil ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Stephen Regman , Submission (brabo choke) , CFFC 78: Santella vs. Shutt , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:52 ,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Michael Lombardo , Decision (unanimous) , Dana White's Contender Series 18 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Jonavin Webb , Technical Submission (brabo choke) , CFFC 72: Brady vs. Abdul-Hakim , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Dustin Long , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Ring of Combat 66 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:51 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Elijah Gbollie , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Art of War Cage Fighting 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:30 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Tyler Bayer , Submission (brabo choke) , CFFC 69 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:32 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Kyle Walker , Submission (brabo choke) , KOTC: Regulator , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:41 ,

Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania Stroudsburg is a borough in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. It lies within the Poconos region, approximately five miles (8 km) from the Delaware Water Gap at the confluence of the Brodhead, McMichaels and Pocono Creeks in Northeastern Pennsyl ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Dino Juklo , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Asylum Fight League 53 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:35 ,

, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Daukaus, Kyle 1993 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Sportspeople from Philadelphia Mixed martial artists from Pennsylvania Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu American Muay Thai practitioners