The strong start to Chris Daukaus’ octagon tenure continued with his biggest win to date against Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC 266.
Daukaus (12-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC) produced a signature result for his resume on Saturday when he gave Abdurakhimov (20-6 MMA, 5-4 UFC) a rude welcome back from a lengthy break from competition courtesy of a violent second-round TKO at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
After nearly putting Abdurakhimov away in the closing seconds of the first round after a big knockdown, Daukaus came out and showed his killer instinct in the second frame. He dropped his Russian foe a second time, but wasn’t him letting get up as he pounced and landed vicious shots until referee Mark Smith decided he’s seen enough.
Check out a replay of the stoppage below (via Twitter):
🎁 @ChrisDaukausMMA gave himself a KO victory for his birthday 🎂
[ #UFC266 | Live NOW on @ESPNPlus & ESPNews ] pic.twitter.com/1Z7R7MXxeL
— UFC (@ufc) September 26, 2021
That is now 5️⃣ straight KO victories for @ChrisDaukausMMA 👊
[ #UFC266 | Live NOW on @ESPNPlus & ESPNews ] pic.twitter.com/lbZAm7w647
— UFC (@ufc) September 26, 2021
Daukaus has now produced four consecutive wins to begin his UFC career. Only interim champion Ciryl Gane (seven), champion Francis Ngannou (five), and Marcin Tybura (five) have longer active streaks at heavyweight.
Given that, Daukaus said he wants a notable fight next.
“I finished him twice in this fight,” Daukaus said in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. “Stipe … the winner of Rozenstruik vs. Blaydes tonight, or the winner of Volkov and Tybura.”
The up-to-the-minute UFC 266 results include:
- Chris Daukaus def. Shamil Abdurakhimov via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:23
- Talia Santos def. Toxanna Modafferi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jalin Turner def. Uros Medic via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:01
- Nick Maximov def. Cody Brundage via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Matthew Semelsberger def. Martin Sano Jr. via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:15
- Jonathan Pearce def. Omar Morales via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:31
