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Tag: Chris Daukaus

  • Ex-Cop Chris Daukaus Offers Unique Perspective On Velasquez Case

    Former police officer and upcoming UFC Columbus headliner Chris Daukaus has shared his thoughts on the Cain Velasquez case.

    Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was reportedly involved in a car chase in pursuit of alleged child molester Henry Goularte. While Velasquez allegedly fired rounds into the vehicle carrying Goularte, bullets hit Goularte’s stepfather instead. Since the arrest, many fighters have voiced their support for Velasquez, such as Israel Adesanya, Colby Covington, and Alexander Volkanovski among others.

    One man who is in a position to offer some unique insight into the case is Chris Daukaus. Daukaus worked as a law-enforcement officer in Philadelphia for more than 10 years, so he has a firm awareness of the criminal justice system.

    But the #9-ranked UFC heavyweight is also a parent. So while he understands the need to charge Velasquez for breaking the law, he is not personally convicting Velasquez from a morality standpoint.

    “Yeah, so as a father and as a fighter, I’m OK with what he did,” Daukaus began in an interview with Sherdog. “Yes, it sucks that he shot the wrong person. I understand where he’s coming from. I understand the emotions that he must have felt and I couldn’t imagine what was going through his head, and I couldn’t imagine being in that situation. 

    Judge denies 'reckless' ex-UFC champ Cain Velasquez bail in attempted murder case - Bloody Elbow
    Image Credit: Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group

    “As a former law enforcement officer, as a former police officer, dealing with the circumstances of the case and the facts of the case, I knew he was gonna be locked up. And he’s going to be charged, and it’s just (about) what he gets charged with during the trial. It’s a really bad situation, I think. But we’ll see how it plays out as far as the timeline goes.”

    Velasquez was charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, assault with a firearm, shooting at a motor vehicle, and discharging a firearm from a vehicle with intent. His bail was denied earlier this month, and he remains in Santa Clara County Main Jail until his trial.

    Once the trial begins, Daukaus believes there will be many factors that ultimately determine Velasquez’s fate.

    “So if it was a quote-unquote ‘crime of passion’ with his emotions and if he just reacted, that plays a factor as opposed to him planning a revenge factor against this person. That also plays a factor in it. But as a father and as a father of a young son and a soon-to-be daughter, I can respect what he did; I understand what he did. But as a former law enforcement officer, like I said, he broke the law; he needs to be locked up.”

    Chris Daukaus biography: 13 things about MMA fighter, cop from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – CONAN Daily
    Chris Daukaus

    Daukaus went on to opine that this entire ordeal is a textbook example of faith lost in the criminal justice system.

    “But I guess that goes to show the type of faith or lack of faith that an individual has in the criminal justice system here in America, which you can tell from not only this story but other stories, it seems to be broken at this point in time,” Daukaus said. “I really wish that it was fixed. But there seems to be something really wrong if the guy who did that to Cain Velasquez is now free to go out in society and back to his normal life after what he’s done, allegedly, to someone or other people.”

    Chris Daukaus is scheduled to face Curtis Blaydes in the main event of UFC Columbus this Saturday. Cain Velasquez is due to reappear in court on April 12.

    What do you make of Chris Daukaus’ thoughts on the Cain Velasquez case?

  • Daukaus On Fighter Pay Debate: “Does Everyone Want $1 million?”

    UFC heavyweight Chris Daukaus doesn’t believe Francis Nagnnou’s efforts to increase fighter pay will result in bigger purses for all.

    The seemingly never-ending fighter pay debate has divided opinion among the UFC’s biggest stars. On one side of the aisle, the likes of Ngannou, Jon Jones, and Paulo Costa have fiercely voiced their salary grievances. On the other side, Valentina Shevchenko, Kevin Holland, and Darren Till, among others, have publicly defended their employer’s remuneration practices.     

    Other than perennial Dana White agitator Jake Paul—who’s made inflaming the fighter pay debate his pet project in recent months—there’s been no more vocal critic of the UFC than Ngannou. The 35-year-old, who’s been locked in protracted contract negotiations with the UFC for some time, has publicly declared he “would not fight for $500,000 or $600,000 anymore.” Ngannou has also consistently argued for more equitable contract terms.

    Under his present contract, Ngannou is precluded from fighting outside of the UFC and therefore can’t test the market for higher pay. The Cameroonian, it seems, is willing to remain inactive for 12 months so as to annul his contract, and thereafter pursue a big-money superfight with heavyweight boxing champ Tyson Fury. As it happens, Ngannou is set to have knee surgery, taking his willingness to be inactive out of his hands.

    Francis Ngannou

    Chris Daukaus Explains Why He Thinks Fighter Pay Won’t Increase

    The argument goes that if the UFC’s biggest stars continue to pressure the franchise for better pay, a trickle-down effect will see bigger purses for all. But in an exclusive interview with MMANews, Ngannou’s heavyweight peer Chris Daukaus explains why that theory is flawed. The 32-year-old says that arguments for better fighter pay fail to take into account simple market economics.

    “No, no,” said Daukaus when asked if Ngannou speaking out will lead to better pay for all fighters. “Because, I mean, when they were all figuring out who was gonna fight for the heavyweight belt before, Jon Jones said he won’t fight Francis for anything less than $10 million, and then Derrick Lewis tweeted out like, ‘I’ll fight him for eight.’ That’s us fighters. If you won’t do something for $10, I’ll do it for $8 because I know I’m gonna get that opportunity.”

    Daukaus is also skeptical of the figure Ngannou claims to receive from the UFC each fight but doesn’t fault the champ for desiring a bigger paycheck. 

    “Plus, let’s be real, Francis isn’t only making $600,000,” continued Daukaus. “He’s not. That’s just not the way it goes. He’s definitely getting paid a lot more than that. I think he wishes that he got paid more. Everyone wishes that they got paid more. That’s just natural.”

    Personally, Daukaus says that he’s content with how he’s been treated by the UFC and notes that while it would be ideal for fighter pay to increase across the board, certain economic realities must be appreciated.

    “I really don’t know what it’s going to take for us to get paid better,” said Daukaus. “I’m extremely happy with my pay scale, my everything, especially with the last two main events. I’m extremely happy with that. I mean, I don’t know what people want. I don’t know what fighters want. Does everyone want $1 million to fight? That’s just not the way it is. So I don’t know what the hell’s gonna happen with it.”

    What do you think? Do you agree with Chris Daukaus’ take on fighter pay?

  • Curtis Blaydes vs. Chris Daukaus Targeted For March 26 Main Event

    UFC heavyweight contenders Curtis Blaydes and Chris Daukaus will square off as the new main event of the upcoming UFC Columbus card.

    This was first reported by MMA journalist Ariel Helwani.

    Blaydes is looking to continue his momentum after an impressive win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 264. Before that, he had lost via second-round knockout to Derrick Lewis last February.

    Blaydes will face a tough challenge in Daukaus, who also is looking to get back on track after a knockout loss to Lewis. He had been on a five-fight winning streak before the defeat to Lewis, which was his first loss in the UFC.

    Blaydes/Daukaus will take the place of a light heavyweight showdown between Jan Blachowicz and Aleksandar Rakic. It was the originally scheduled main event before Blachowicz was forced to withdraw with an injury. That matchup is expected to be re-booked for later this year.

    Blaydes had recently called for a fight with former interim champion Ciryl Gane next, but it appears that Gane wants to take some time off after losing to Francis Ngannou at UFC 270. The matchup could still happen if Blaydes can get past Daukaus.

    The UFC heavyweight title picture is a bit shaky at the moment as Ngannou is expected to miss a majority of 2022 after undergoing knee surgery. Some believe that the promotion will likely book another interim title bout as Ngannou recovers from his injury.

    Blaydes vs. Daukaus won’t be the only intriguing fight on the card. A potential No. 1 flyweight contender bout between Askar Askarov and Kai Kara France will serve as the co-main event, and Michelle Waterson will make her return to the Octagon against Amanda Ribas.

    What is your prediction for Curtis Blaydes vs. Chris Daukaus?

  • Watch: Lewis Sends A Message To Ex-Cop Daukaus After Traffic Stop

    Derrick Lewis had a direct message to his UFC Vegas 45 opponent Chris Daukaus after what he felt was a sketchy traffic stop.

    Heading into UFC Vegas 45, Derrick Lewis had one main goal. Sure, getting the dub, in general, is always essential. Breaking the UFC knockout record? Meh. The real primary objective for Lewis last weekend, in his own words, was to avoid getting Rodney King’d on national television by ex-police officer Chris Daukaus.

    “He’s gotta be a good guy because he is a police officer. I support the police department all over the world, ‘specially in Houston,” Lewis said. “I appreciate most of you all for letting me slide with speeding ticket here, and that’s why I appreciate you all, back the blue all day long. Whenever you fighting a police officer, you don’t wanna get Rodney King’d on ESPN, so you gotta go out there and fight hard, man. Do it for the people.”

    After Lewis was happy to legally assault the ex-cop in brutal fashion in a tribute to the ’90s police brutality victim King, he would very soon come in contact with the boys in blue again.

    Derrick Lewis Gets Pulled Over, Racks Up Another Dub

    As Lewis alluded to prior to the fight, Houston officers treat “The Black Beast” as a local hero, often being lenient with any traffic violations he may have committed.

    Such an incident was captured on video in Lewis’ Instagram Stories on Wednesday. When the traffic stop concluded, Lewis wanted Daukaus to know that he just pulled out another victory after implying that the ex-cop Daukaus had gone dirty. Peep it out below.

    In the video, Lewis is handed a warning by the officer for missing his front license plate. Lewis would brag about this resolution with his customary deadpan tone while addressing Daukaus.

    “Alright, Chris Daukaus. I’m still 2-0. He just gave me a warning. You tried it.”

    If Lewis’ suspicions are correct, he may want to quit while he’s ahead at 2-0 instead of poking the bear. Because regardless of your winning streak, if you keep Clashing with the law, the law always wins.

    What do you make of this second “victory” for Derrick Lewis?

  • Lewis Takes Pleasure In Legally Assaulting Ex-Police Officer Daukaus

    UFC heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis took pleasure in getting the opportunity to legally knock out a former police officer inside the Octagon.

    Lewis put on arguably the best performance of his 2021 run in knocking out Chris Daukaus in the UFC Vegas 45 main event. Lewis looked patient on the feet before eventually overwhelming Daukaus with a barrage of right hooks to secure the finish.

    Leading up to the fight, Lewis had spoken about how he wanted to avoid getting Rodney King’d by Daukaus. King is well known as a victim of police brutality in the 1990s. During his post-fight press conference, Lewis spoke about his performance and what it was like to assault a former police officer without penalty.

    “That was for Rodney King,” Lewis said. “I’m fighting a police officer, man. Come on, man. That’s the only time you get a chance to punch a police officer in the mouth and get away with it, and then he gets up and shakes your head? Sh*t, that was a great feeling, man.”

    With the knockout over Daukaus, Lewis passed Vitor Belfort and Matt Brown to claim the top spot on the UFC’s all-time knockout list with 13 finishes. Earlier this year, he had knocked out Curtis Blaydes in a Knockout of the Year candidate.

    What stands out about Lewis isn’t just the performances he puts in the Octagon, but also his microphone work before and after events. As Lewis looks ahead to possible title contention in 2022, his following is more than likely to grow with each additional comedic gesture.

    What do you think should be next for Derrick Lewis?

  • Fighters React To Derrick Lewis Finishing Chris Daukaus At UFC Vegas 45

    Derrick Lewis vs. Chris Daukaus was a quick fight. 

    The two fighters met in a bout on Saturday night (December 18, 2021) at the UFC Vegas 45 event from Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility.

    This one didn’t last long. Lewis was in complete control as he landed some combos before they clinched. After they separated, Lewis hurt him with right hooks before unleashing with more strikes and Daukaus dropped. 

    Peep the highlights of the fight courtesy of the UFC’s official Twitter account:

    Lewis was coming off a loss to Ciryl Gane by TKO in an interim heavyweight title fight at the UFC 265 PPV event. Before that, Lewis got a TKO win over Aleksei Oleinik in August 2020, beat Ilir Latifi by decision at the UFC 247 pay-per-view event on February 8, 2020, and then beat Curtis Blaydes by TKO at UFC Vegas 19. Before that, Lewis beat Blagoy Ivanov at the UFC 244 pay-per-view event from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York prior to him losing by second-round TKO to former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos in the headliner of UFC on ESPN + 4 on March 9, 2019 from Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas. 

    Daukaus entered this fight with a 5-fight winning streak and a 12-3 pro-MMA record. Victories in his past five fights were over the likes of Danny Holmes, Parker Porter, Rodrigo Nascimento, Aleksei Oleinik, and Shamil Abdurakhimov. All of those fights ended in TKO/KO. 

    Let’s see how the fighters reacted to the outcome of this fight: 

    https://twitter.com/Actionman513/status/1472394747113136128

    UFC Vegas 45 Results & Highlights: Derrick Lewis vs. Chris Daukaus, Stephen Thompson vs. Belal Muhammad

    MMA News has you covered with results, highlights, and post-fight tidbits from UFC Vegas 45. Be sure to keep checking the homepage for the latest news.

  • UFC Vegas 45: Lewis vs. Daukaus Weigh-In Results & In-Depth Preview

    The weigh-in results for UFC Vegas 45: Lewis vs. Daukaus are in, and we’ve got the results along with a preview for tomorrow night’s event for you below.

    The weigh-ins are complete for UFC Vegas 45, and three fighters have missed weight. In Justin Tafa’s case, he made history by becoming the first heavyweight to ever miss weight. Greg Hardy initially missed weight at UFC Vegas 12 last year, but he was able to successfuly make weight on his second attempt. Tafa, however, did not return to the scales after weighing in at 267 pounds, which is one pound over the heavyweight limit.

    Macy Chiasson also missed weight for her featherweight bout against Raquel Pennington, coming in at 148.5 pounds, 2.5 pounds over the limit. Meanwhile, Sijara Eubanks’ struggles on the scale continue, with the flyweight weighing in 1.5 pounds over the flyweight limit ahead of her bout against Melissa Gatto.

    UFC Vegas 45 takes place from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The entire card will stream on ESPN+, with the prelims starting at 4:00 PM ET and the main card beginning at 7:00 PM ET.

    UFC Vegas 45 Preview & Faceoffs

    The final card of 2021 goes down tomorrow night in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event, top-10 heavyweights Derrick Lewis (#3) and Chris Daukaus (#7) will slug it out. When these two big boys exchange fire, former police officer Daukaus will do so cautiously because of the power he knows Lewis possesses.

    All the while, Lewis will be swangin’ and bangin’ and doing everything he can to avoid being MMA’s answer to Rodney King. Should he be successful, he’d like to move on to the next challenge, two-time UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.

    In his previous bout at UFC 265 against Ciryl Gane, Lewis admits that the pressure of vying for a UFC title in his hometown got to him. Tomorrow night, there will be a sparse and relatively quiet Apex crowd ready to behold another Black Beast explosion. Should Lewis earn another knockout tomorrow at Daukaus’ expense, he will stand alone as the UFC knockout record-holder.

    Check out the face-off between these two heavyweights below.

    In the co-main event, top-10 welterweights Stephen Thompson (#5) and Belal Muhammad (#10) will do battle. When Thompson first learned that this fight was booked, the UFC veteran was absolutely elated. He expects a fun, honest scrap between himself and Muhammad, unlike the way he feels his fight with Gilbert Burns went at UFC 264.

    Should Thompson come out on the losing end, Muhammad believes that should earn him the same opportunity that Thompson has had on two separate occasions: fighting for the world title. If not, a bout with the highly touted Khamzat Chimaev would also suffice for the Chicagoan.

    Here is the final face-off between these two ranked welterweights.

    Here are the other face-offs for tomorrow night’s main card bouts!

    Amanda Lemos vs. Angela Hill

    Raphael Assuncao vs. Ricky Simon

    Diego Ferreira vs. Mateusz Gamrot

    Cub Swanson vs. Darren Elkins

    This is a battle between two hardened UFC veterans. Cub Swanson recently revealed that there are some people in his inner circle that believe he should stop fighting. However, he hopes that big performances like the one he expects to turn in tomorrow will show them that he still has plenty left to offer the sport. Check out the face-off between these to battle-tested featherweights below.

    UFC Vegas 45 Weigh-In Results

    Below, you can find the full lineup for UFC Vegas 45 as well as the weigh-in results, courtesy of UFC.com.

    Main Card

    Main Event – Heavyweight Bout: Derrick Lewis (265) vs Chris Daukaus (235.5)

    Co-Main Event – Welterweight Bout: Stephen Thompson (170.5) vs Belal Muhammad (170.5)

    Women’s Strawweight Bout: Amanda Lemos (115) vs Angela Hill (115.5)

    Bantamweight Bout: Raphael Assuncao (136) vs Ricky Simon (135.5)

    Lightweight Bout: Diego Ferreira (156) vs Mateusz Gamrot (155.5)

    Featherweight Bout: Cub Swanson (145.5) vs Darren Elkins (145.5)

    PRELIMS

    Middleweight Bout: Dustin Stoltzfus (185.5) vs Gerald Meerschaert (185.5)

    Bantamweight Bout: Raoni Barcelos (135.5) vs Victory Henry (136)

    Heavyweight Bout: Justin Tafa (267)* vs Harry Hunsucker (238.5)

    Women’s Flyweight Bout: Sijara Eubanks (127.5)** vs Melissa Gatto (125)

    Featherweight Bout: Charles Jourdain (145.5) vs Andre Ewell (145)

    Women’s Featherweight Bout: Raquel Pennington (145) vs Macy Chiasson (148.5)***

    Heavyweight Bout: Don’Tale Mayes (256.5) vs Josh Parisian (262)

    Lightweight Bout: Jordan Leavitt (155.5) vs Matt Sayles (155.5)

    MMA News will have you covered with all the UFC Vegas 45 results and highlights tomorrow night!

  • Derrick Lewis Doesn’t Want To Get “Rodney King’d” On ESPN

    It’s not a “Black Beast” fight week without some memorable quotes. 

    Derrick Lewis is known for his quick wit and vicious knockout power. Put a microphone in front of him, and the Houston native shines. So it’s no surprise that ahead of his main event bout with Chris Daukaus, a former police officer, that Lewis brought up his opponent’s past occupation at the press conference(h/t Sportskeeda). 

    “He’s gotta be a good guy because he is a police officer. I support the police department all over the world, specially in Houston. I appreciate most of you all for letting me slide with speeding ticket here, and that’s why I appreciate you all, back the blue all day long. Whenever you fighting a police officer, you don’t wanna get Rodney King’d on ESPN, so you gotta go out there and fight hard, man. Do it for the people.”

    Derrick Lewis
    Derrick Lewis (Photo: Instagram @UFC)

    For those who may not be in the know, Rodney King is a black man who was excessively beaten by police officers after a traffic chase in 1991. The four officers accused of excessive force were freed without punishment, causing the city of Los Angeles to erupt in riots and chaos.

    Lewis and Daukaus will meet in the main event of UFC Vegas 45 this Saturday. Daukaus will be looking to make it five straight wins since joining the UFC in 2020. His last outing saw him TKO Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC 266. 

    The bout will be Lewis’ first return to the Octagon since failing to capture interim gold against Cyril Gane at UFC 265 in August.

    Who wins between Chris Daukaus and Derrick Lewis this weekend?

  • Derrick Lewis Targets Stipe Miocic Clash With Victory Over Daukaus

    UFC heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis is hoping to book an Octagon meeting with Stipe Miocic when he faces Chris Daukaus this weekend.

    Despite his recent setback, Lewis is seemingly as eager as ever to throw down inside the cage. “The Black Beast” opened his year with one of the most brutal knockouts of 2021. In a February main event, he slept top contender Curtis Blaydes with a vicious uppercut. Given his prior wins against Aleksei Oleinik, Ilir Latifi, and Blagoy Ivanov, Lewis had set himself up for a title shot.

    After Francis Ngannou’s inability to make the Houston-held UFC 265 pay-per-view in August, Lewis had to settle for an interim title fight against surging Frenchman Ciryl Gane. The hometown hero story didn’t play out that night, with the 36-year-old falling in the third round after failing to connect with “Bon Gamin” much during the contest.

    Keen to re-enter the win column, Lewis will fit a third fight into a year for the first time since 2018 when he collides with rising heavyweight Chris Daukaus in Saturday’s UFC Vegas 45 main event.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CXbc-Z0MIZm/

    Lewis Targets “One Of The Best Of All Time”

    While he’s certainly got a stiff test in front of him in Las Vegas this weekend, Lewis isn’t one to shy away from looking into the future. He did exactly that during UFC Vegas 45 media day on Wednesday.

    Lewis discussed his aspirations for 2022 if he can secure a rebound victory against Daukaus. After stating he’d like to be back fighting for gold by the end of the year, “The Black Beast” suggested he can arrive there by facing and beating “one of the best of all time” in Stipe Miocic, who, despite their long tenures in the UFC, Lewis has never faced.

    “I would like to fight for the title at the end of next year,” Lewis said. “That would be great. You know, get through Daukaus, God willing, I come out with the win, I would like to fight Stipe next. I believe he’s top five, so I believe that I should be fighting top-five guys in the division. Nothing against Stipe or nothing like that.

    Stipe Miocic
    Stipe Miocic

    “You know, I don’t feel like I have nothing to prove. It’s just a guy that I’ve never fought. I know he’s like one of the best of all time. You know, I ain’t shit, so I just want to just fight him just because. That’s all. No disrespect or anything like that.” (h/t MMA Junkie)

    Of course, to build a path to Miocic, Lewis will have to get past Daukaus, who will be no easy task. The 32-year-old has gone 4-0 in the UFC since arriving in 2020. After first-round knockouts against Parker Porter, Rodrigo Nascimento, and Aleksei Oleinik, Daukaus jumped up the rankings with a mightily impressive second-round TKO against Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC 266.

    Nevertheless, Lewis’ power will be the dangerous threat it always is, and “The Black Beast” will be hoping to KO his way to the consensus heavyweight GOAT tomorrow night.

    How do you think a fight between Derrick Lewis and Stipe Miocic would play out?

  • Chris Daukaus: Derrick Lewis Has More Power Than Francis Ngannou

    In the heavyweight realm, fighters hit hard, but some hit harder than others.

    Rising contender Chris Daukaus (12-3) took to MMA on SiriusXM to discuss his upcoming bout with Derrick Lewis this weekend at UFC Vegas 45. According to Daukaus, the Houston slugger hits harder than the current UFC heavyweight champion. 

    “I think he’s got more power than Francis Ngannou,” proclaimed Daukaus. 

    While it’s hard to qualify punching power, there’s no debate that Lewis hits like a Mack truck to the face. Of his 25 victories in mixed martial arts, 20 of those have ended via knockout. “The Black Beast” has been utterly outclassed more than once before detonating a single fist on his opponent’s jaw and ending the fight. 

    Francis Ngannou, though, is no slouch in the power department. With 16 victories to his name, Ngannou earned 12 of them with his punches. Many outlets gave the Cameroonian “KO of the Year: honors back in 2017 for his astonishing finish of Alistair Overeem. 

    Yet, Daukaus is no stranger to turning off another man’s lights himself. The Philadelphian has finished every UFC fight thus far with strikes. His last outing saw him TKO Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC 266.

    Derrick Lewis vs. Chris Daukaus is scheduled for UFC Vegas 45 on December 18. There, the behemoths will meet in a five-round main event.