“The road to success is always under construction, and you will need to drive through the towns of failure, adversity, self-doubt and critics to arrive at your destination of success.” This was what Kyle Daukaus said after Dana White and Co. decided to release the middleweight fighter back in 2023. And now, it seems like the road to success has aligned itself back with the road to UFC, as ‘The D’Arce Knight’ revealed his interest in getting back to the Octagon after claiming the CFFC middleweight championship belt and defending it twice.
Daukaus took to X and showed off his achievements. He revealed that he was an undefeated fighter outside the UFC. ‘The D’Arce Knight’ has 13 wins outside Dana White’s UFC, and 12 of them were finishers. Specifically, he won 11 bouts by submitting his opponents and 1 via a KO. Sadly, about a month after he lost at the hands of Eryk Anders, in 2022, the UFC head honcho decided to let the middleweight fighter go. Following his release, Daukaus rejoined the CFFC and won 4 bouts, 3 of which came via finishes. But that’s not all!
Daukaus’ last bout at CFFC 132 against Keanan Patershuk was actually his second successful title defense, as he defeated Patershuk via punches in the first round. Well, this wasn’t Daukaus’ first title run in the CFFC. Before stepping into the UFC in 2020, he had 2 successful title defenses under his belt. Now, he believes that he is ready to strengthen his stance in the Octagon once again. He continued in the tweet, “Grateful for the learning experience, but it’s time. Confident I’ll run through anyone put in front of me. Give me a call @ufc #UFC.”
13-0 outside the UFC.
12 finishes (11 sub, 1 KO)
Cut from UFC.
4-0 since my release (3 finishes)
Grateful for the learning experience, but it’s time.
Confident I’ll run through anyone put in front of me.
— Kyle Daukaus (@KyleDaukaus) April 4, 2025
Well, the UFC head honcho has yet to respond to the axed middleweight fighter. But while we wait for a response from White, let’s take a look at the reason why the UFC CEO didn’t deem it fit to re-sign Daukaus 2 years back.
Kyle Daukaus’ performance in the UFC did not impress Dana White
Bad luck had struck Daukaus ever since he stepped into the Octagon. His debut in 2020 was against Brendan Allen, but unfortunately, the Philadelphia-born fighter lost the bout via a unanimous decision. Thankfully, he managed to overturn the loss in his debut in his second UFC fight. But his skills weren’t enough to keep him going. He landed back in the Octagon to fight Phil Hawes in 2021 and lost via unanimous decision.
Nevertheless, Daukaus managed to get a co-main event bout against Kevin Holland at UFC Vegas 38. However, the bout had to be turned into a no-contest after an accidental clash of heads in the first round. No doubt, it was a major disappointment for the UFC CEO. Right after that, he had to face 3 back-to-back cancellations before finally securing a fight against Jamie Pickett. Interestingly, Daukaus managed to win the Performance of the Night bonus for his first-round win over Pickett via a D’Arce choke.
But little did he know that his luck had dried out once again. His next bout against Roman Dolidze ended with a first-round KO defeat after Dolidze sent a knee while in a clinch and followed up with his strong fists. His last UFC bout against Anders was a loss via ground and pound in the second round. Needless to say, White seemed to have seen enough and refused to sign Daukaus again in January 2023. But this time, things might just be different. Who knows, he might even pose a threat to the reigning middleweight champion, Dricus Du Plessis.
Do you think Dana White should give Daukaus another chance to prove himself in the UFC? Will ‘The D’Arce Knight’ be able to maintain his dominance in the Octagon after spending 2 years at CFFC? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
The post With 13–0 Outside UFC, Axed Fighter Demands a Call Back From Dana White as Middleweight Division Is Put on Alert appeared first on EssentiallySports.
