Chris Daukaus on top-10 rank: “Started my day off pretty well”
Time is flying by for Chris Daukaus.
Daukaus was set to challenge now-Bellator heavyweight Shawn Teed for the Cage Fury Fighting Championships strap a year ago. The entire event was scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Pennsylvania native was unsure when he would be able to compete again, let alone being signed to the UFC. Fast forward to now, Daukaus is ranked 10th in the promotion’s heavyweight division.
“Realistically, what can happen in a year?,” Daukaus said to MyMMANews.
“I wouldn’t change anything. I know last year sucked, the beginning of this year still sucks, but it’s been a good year and a half for me.”
A change of plans for Chris Daukaus
The thought of training full time used to seem like a daydream for the Philadelphia police officer. He plans to finally make the move to being a full-time fighter once he is available for a pension plan in July.
A lot has changed for Daukaus in his 10 years of being a city police officer. He used to see being a police officer as more a long-term career with fighting taking a back seat.
“There’s no reason to work nine and a half years and not have a pension and leave, so to get to 10 years, I’ll have a pension. If I decide to go back, I can always keep building that,” Daukaus said. “I have switched my focus to being more of a professional MMA fighter. You can see my physical transformation has really taken place and has helped me get to the level I am at now.”
All-time high
Making 265 pounds used to be a struggle for Daukaus, who walked around at 300 pounds at one point in his life.
The 31-year-old is listed at 250 pounds according to the UFC’s website and he is building a reputation as one of the fastest strikers in the division.
Daukaus’ record is proof of the transformation he’s made as a professional fighter. He started out his career at 2-2 and then won nine out of his next 10 bouts.
He won eight of those nine victories by TKO/knockout, seven in the opening round.
The Martinez BJJ product is currently riding a four-fight win streak with all first-round finishes. He put away Danny Holmes, Parker Porter, Rodrigo Nascimento and most recently Oleinik.
“I’ve seen there is a glaring hole in the heavyweight division as far as speed wise and cardio,” Daukaus said. “My confidence is at an all-time high and I can only attribute to the hard work and dedication that everyone at the gym has been putting in.”
A good start to the day
Daukaus saw his fair share of negativity in 2020, being a police officer on the frontline of the riots in Philadelphia. Outside of his full-time job, last year raised the bar high in his mixed martial arts career.
He is off to a strong start in 2021 with a win over a top-10 opponent. Even better, Daukaus is already top 10 heavyweight himself less than two months into the new year.
Although Daukaus plans to continue climbing the ranks in the next 10 months, he is still sticking to his day-by-day approach.
Time may go by fast, but today is a great start.
“You’re always striving to climb the ranks and to get to that ultimate goal,” Daukaus said. “Waking up today and have that number next to my name was pretty cool. Started my day off pretty well.”
