SPORTS
Saturday, September 21, 2019
AP Photo/Nick Vespe, File
In this Feb. 16, 2019, file photo, provided by Cage Fury Fighting Championships, Kyle Dau-
kaus, top, battles Jonavin Webb during a mixed martial arts bout in Atlantic City, N.J.
Philly fighter Daukaus looks
to impress UFC in title fight
By DAN GELSTON
Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA
—
Kyle Daukaus won a con-
vincing fight on a MMA
reality show that looks for
the next big UFC star. So
he waited for Dana White to
offer him a contract.
For a Philly kid who
grew up rooting for Georges
St-Pierre and Chael Sonnen,
this was the career moment
of a lifetime.
“I was excited about the
contract,” Daukaus said. “I
believe I had the best per-
formance that night.”
But when White offered
the first two fighters UFC
contracts on his “Con-
tender Series,” Daukaus sat
there with one thought: Uh
oh. White probably wasn’t
going to make it 3 for 3 for
the prospects. Daukaus’
hunch was correct.
“There are parts of his
game that aren’t really there
yet and he would have trou-
ble in the UFC with some of
the guys that we have,” the
UFC President said on the
show. “I think he’s got a ton
of talent, I think he’s got a
lot of promise. I just don’t
think he’s ready right now.”
In reality show terms,
Daukaus was voted off the
island.
“It’s heartbreaking but I
need to move on,” he said. “I
have to be very dominant in
my performance Saturday,
and I have to be very domi-
nant in all my performances
until they give me the call.”
Daukaus (7-0) gets his
next shot Saturday when he
defends his Cage Fury Fight-
ing Championships mid-
dleweight belt against Ste-
phen Regman (9-4) at Parx
Casino. The regional MMA
promotion will have CFFC
78 air live on UFC Fight
Pass. Former WWE star and
UFC fighter CM Punk joins
Mike Gill and UFC straw-
weight Jessica Penne on the
broadcast team.
The 26-year-old Dau-
kaus ran into White after the
show aired in June and was
told he just needed more
experience to get the call to
UFC.
“One fight isn’t experi-
ence, but you never know,”
Daukaus said. “I could have a
very dominant performance
and they could say, you know
what, we made a mistake and
we want this guy.”
Daukaus was raised
in Northeast Philly in the
Tacony neighborhood and
still lives and trains in
the city. He watched UFC
fights with his older brother
and they’d “roll around in
the basement” before they
entered a grappling tour-
nament about eight years
ago. Both finished second
despite minimal training.
They soon decided to take
up MMA and both are fight-
ers. Daukaus’ brother is also
a Philly police officer.
Daukaus needed time to
find his niche in MMA.
“I was a fat kid out of
high school,” he said. “I
was walking around at 260,
265 pounds. So when I first
started training, my coach
told me I needed to take
heavyweight fights. It wasn’t
smart of me. I lost a lot.”
Daukaus lost a handful of
amateur fights — including
one on a 2016 CFFC card
— and hardly looked like a
prized prospect. He even-
tually took a step back and
decided to fight at a lower
weight. He followed a plan
set by noted MMA fitness
expert Mike Dolce and soon
dropped to 205 pounds. He
fought at 185 pounds “and I
just found my calling.”
He found success at his
proper weight as a pro, rip-
ping off an unbeaten streak
that included a CFFC mid-
dleweight title victory in
February over Jonavin
Webb. His win caught
the attention of UFC and
earned him the “Contender”
invitation.
The Daukaus fight is one
of four pro title fights on the
Fight Pass card. The welter-
weight title is up for grabs
after Philadelphia’s Sean
Brady vacated the belt when
he signed with UFC.
“They treat you like
a UFC fighter,” Daukaus
said. “It’s like you’re in the
big show.”
IndyCar touts positive gains
as season heads to climax
By JENNA FRYER
AP Auto Racing Writer
MONTEREY, Calif. —
When a 19-year-old rookie
paces the field at an unfamil-
iar and technical race track,
it catches the attention of vet-
erans who wonder if the kid
is fearless or foolish whip-
ping around historic Laguna
Seca Raceway.
Will Power went with
“definitely brave” in describ-
ing Colton Herta’s successful
first day hurtling through 11
fast corners of the 2.258-mile
road course.
Then came Day 2.
Herta again paced the
field in Friday’s first practice
session, but that bravery so
heralded a day earlier caught
up with him. Herta went off
the track three times, includ-
ing a session-ending spin.
“I was definitely pushing
to the limit of what I had yes-
terday, and that’s what I was
doing all three times, and the
third time kind of ended the
session for me and everyone
else,” Herta said.
Either way, Herta and fel-
low rookie of the year con-
tenders Felix Rosenqvist
and Santino Ferrucci were
the top three on the speed
chart during the first prac-
tice session for Sunday’s
season-ending and champi-
onship-deciding race. The
practice was problematic for
Alexander Rossi, second in
the points standings behind
Josef Newgarden, because
his car had a “hardware
problem.”
It required Rossi to get
out of his car so his Andretti
Autosport team could access
the issue. Rossi wound up
with just four laps completed
in the session and sported
his “Angry Alex” scowl as
he climbed atop the timing
stand to debrief. He is 41
points behind leader New-
garden headed into a race
worth double points as Indy-
Car decides its champion in
the finale for the 14th consec-
utive year.
It didn’t get much better
for Rossi in the second ses-
sion, as he was 23rd of 24 cars
with the caveat that he didn’t
turn any laps on the faster set
of tires. Andretti Autosport
teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay
was fastest of the session,
and followed by the rookie
contenders. Rosenqvist was
second, Herta third without
incident and Ferrucci fifth.
Newgarden was sixth
fastest and needs only to fin-
ish fourth Sunday to win his
second title in three years.
A tight championship
battle, an impressive rookie
class, improved television
ratings and major advance-
ments in safety and tech-
nology on the horizon
were among the highlights
touted Friday by IndyCar
leadership.
“We believe IndyCar is
the most compelling form
of motorsport on the planet,
and I think that’s more true,
more defensible every year,”
series CEO Mark Miles said.
“We just keep getting bet-
ter, the racing improves, it’s
more competitive, and it’s all
done while being very atten-
tive to managing costs for the
teams. I’m also delighted to
say that in almost every met-
ric, our marketing and pro-
motional and commercial
initiatives are growing the
sport and ultimately attract-
ing more fans.”
IndyCar this year had just
one broadcast partner, the
NBC Sports Group, which
helped its continued renais-
sance. While nowhere near
its heyday of the 1980s and
early 1990s, the series has
gained stability that is being
openly celebrated this week-
end in the long-awaited
return to Laguna Seca. The
track was one of the most
popular on the circuit until it
was dropped after the 2004
race.
But there’s a boost in
energy over what is still to
come for the series, and that
includes McLaren’s partici-
pation next season, a wind-
screen that will protect the
cockpit beginning next year
and a hybrid system that
will be implemented when
the new engine formula is
introduced in 2022. Indy-
Car wants less downforce by
2022 and is aiming for over
900 horsepower.
“It’s very important that
we remain true to our DNA,
and our DNA is fast, loud,
authentic and unapologetic,”
said Jay Frye, president of
IndyCar.
The “Aeroscreen” proj-
ect currently underway to
protect the drivers’ heads in
the open cockpits is receiv-
ing the most attention as
IndyCar aims for improved
safety. The push has been on
for years but has been slow
in development, even after
Justin Wilson’s death in 2015
when he was hit in the head
by a piece of debris.
East Oregonian
Join us for a day of
wellness,
fun activities & prizes
for all ages!
Saturday, Sept. 28
9am-2pm
Hermiston High School
• On-site Dental Treatment
for Uninsured
• Health Screenings including:
• Hearing • Dental • Diabetes
• Cancer & Heart Disease Risk
• Respiratory Health & More!
• Teddy Bear Clinic
• Cooking Workshops
• Community Health
Resources & Programs
• Yoga & Zumba
• Hands-on Activities
• Helmet Fittings
• Car Seat Checks
• Performances
• Door Prizes & Healthy Snacks
FREE EVENT for
ALL AGES!
Sponsored by:
Questions? Contact angie.treadwell@oregonstate.edu
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