5 Things You Might Not Know About Chris Daukaus

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Chris Daukaus moseyed up to his moment in the sun with little to no fanfare.

The surging Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight contender will draw his most significant assignment to date when he faces Derrick Lewis in the UFC Fight Night 199 main event on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Daukaus, 32, enters the cage on the heels of a five-fight winning streak. He last competed at UFC 266, where he cut down Shamil Abdurakhimov with punches and elbows in the second round of their Sept. 25 pairing. Only one of Daukaus’ 15 pro bouts has reached the judges: a unanimous decision over Jeffrey Blachly under the Cage Fury Fighting Championships banner in December 2016.

As Daukaus inches ever close to his high-stakes encounter with Lewis, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. He leads a busy life outside the cage.

Daukaus has responsibilities that extend far beyond those associated with being a mixed martial artist. He provides for a wife and son, and he has worked as a police officer for the Philadelphia Police Department since 2010.

2. Adversity does not dissuade him.

The Martinez Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu export has followed all three of his career losses with a win. Daukaus in his most recent setback—a technical knockout defeat to Azunna Anyanwu on March 2, 2019—failed in his bid to capture the CFFC heavyweight title. He has rattled off five consecutive victories since, all of them finishes.

3. His ancillary skills remain something of a mystery.

Daukaus holds the rank of black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but he has not yet secured a submission in mixed martial arts competition. In fact, he has delivered 11 of his 12 wins by knockout or technical knockout, eight of them inside one round.

4. He has grown accustomed to home cooking.

Fourteen of the Philadelphia native’s 15 pro bouts have taken place in the United States, and they have been confined to Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Nevada. The lone exception? Daukaus buried Rodrigo Nascimento with punches just 45 seconds into their UFC Fight Night 179 pairing on Oct. 10, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

5. His bosses admire his handiwork.

Daukaus has earned “Performance of the Night” bonuses in each of his last three appearances inside the Octagon, resulting in $150,000 of additional income.