Kyle Daukaus met the media Saturday after his win over Michel Pereira at UFC Fight Night 257.
Daukaus (16-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) pulled off one of the event’s biggest upsets when he finsihed Pereira (31-14 MMA, 9-5 UFC) with a first-round TKO on the prelims of the UFC’s return to China at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai.
The win was an emotional one for Daukaus, who returned to the UFC for a second stint. He exited the promotion on a two-fight skid in 2022, but went on to become the CFFC middleweight champion in his quest to get back to the big show.
“When I first got released by the UFC, I wasn’t going to let that deter me or anything like that,” Daukaus told UFC.com after his win. “I also wasn’t going to let it determine my career. I told myself I’m going to work (toward) the UFC, something else, but I’m getting back to the top.”
Pereira was more than a 3-1 favorite in the fight. But Daukaus, whose older brother Chris fought in the UFC at heavyweight, said he was confident he had the power to finish him.
But the fact he took him out so quickly, in just 43 seconds, might have been a surprise even to him and his team.
“I felt like with the game plan we had set up, this was an option,” Daukaus said. “I felt like it would’ve been more toward the later rounds, second or third. I didn’t think it was going to be as early, but we don’t get paid by the hour in there.
“… What it immediately sets me up for is probably the top 20, I’d say. But I just want to get my feet wet, keep fighting, and fight out my contract right now (before I start calling people out). … I’m not here to rush anything.”
Check out Daukaus’ post-fight interview in the video below.
