Kyle Daukaus aiming to launch rare second title reign at Saturday's CFFC 124
Daukaus hopes to regain the CFFC middleweight title when he faces current champ Greg Ellis on UFC FIGHT PASS.
Kyle Daukaus (12-4) is eager to take back the CFFC middleweight belt when he faces current titleholder Greg Ellis (8-4) at Saturday's CFFC 124, which takes place at Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.
Daukaus had his first fight after being released from the UFC at June's CFFC 120, where he took the win in the first round via submission. This was an important win for Daukaus, and he looks for a repeat performance on Saturday.
"Of course, it's always important to win," Daukaus said. "But it's most important to win coming off of being released from the UFC because everybody has been saying you don't belong there anyway. You want to make sure that it's something that people aren't correct with, that you can perform.
"I had a bad streak of performances for the UFC, but getting that win back felt great. It's where I need to be right now. Getting this win on Saturday would open a lot of doors for me as far as getting back there for the UFC."
Daukaus previously won the CFFC middleweight title in 2019 against Jonavin Webb. "The D'Arce Knight" is grateful for the opportunity and knows the power winning a CFFC belt holds.
"I will obviously make it look easy on Saturday," Daukaus said. "I think it’s a good matchup for us. I'm very thankful for CFFC giving me the chance to fight for the belt so soon after being released by the UFC. It's very rare a guy would come back after being released and fight for the belt in his second fight out of the UFC. This belt can lead to my career skyrocketing after this. I plan on making that happen on Saturday night.
"CFFC is the top East Coast regional scene promotion. If you have the belt for them, you're the champ, and that makes you No. 1 on this side of the country. It can get your name out there and makes you known amongst everybody and the fighters."
Daukaus is a Philly guy at heart, and he now gets the opportunity to win the belt back in his home territory. His fans are going to show out for this big fight. For fans who can not make it, the matchup streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS, along with the other main card fights.
"I expect a big crowd," Daukaus said. "I could walk to the Parx Casino from my house. It's about a five-minute walk, maybe a three-minute drive. I'm literally fighting in my backyard. It feels great. I know I'm going to have a lot of fans there. It's going to be a good night. I'm very excited."
A change is coming to Daukaus' life as he takes on a new role: becoming a father. In November, Daukaus and his wife Katharine will welcome a baby boy into their lives.
"We found out on my birthday that she was pregnant, and it has been a wild ride," Daukaus said. "I'm very excited. A lot of work is going on in the baby's bedroom, taking her to doctor's appointments, and just making sure I'm there. It is something I have always wanted. I planned and prepared my best for it. Even though I know it's not going to go the way I planned, I'm still going to prepare and try to be the best father and husband I can be to her and the child."
Fighting is in the Daukaus family genes. Kyle's brother, Chris Daukaus, is also a UFC veteran. It means there's a great support system but also creates a level of competitiveness for the two.
"There's a fine line of brotherly love for us," Daukaus said. "When we're outside of the gym, we're very loyal to each other, but when we're in the gym, we're trying to take each other's heads off. It makes it better for us because he keeps me accountable. When I'm not preparing for a fight, I'm helping him. When he's not preparing for a fight, he's helping me.
"Even when we both do have fights coming up at the same time, we make each other that much better because we're both improving throughout fight camp and competing with each other every single day. That's something a lot of guys don't have. These guys have teammates, but there's something different about your brother training alongside you and being at the top level with you."
At just 30, Daukaus still has a bright future and is open to many different opportunities. It all starts with winning on Saturday night first.
"As far as what this leads to, obviously being in the UFC, I feel like I have unfinished business there, so ideally, it would be somewhere I would like to go," Daukaus said. "But I also have to look at it from a father standpoint and a business standpoint, and whoever will pay me enough to support my family while doing this. Whatever is next, I'll be thankful for it. If the UFC calls, they call. If they don't, they don't, and if Bellator or a PFL call, they call, and I'll be more than happy to sign on those contracts, as well."
ARTICLE BY: SARA BAYAIT