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The middleweight, who will face fellow American Bo Nickal, is one of the lesser-known names on the card
UFC middleweight Kyle Daukaus has admitted that even he believes his place on the White House card is undeserved after the unranked fighter’s matchup with Bo Nickal received widespread backlash for its inclusion on the much-hyped event. The unprecedented fightcard, set for 14 June, will take place on the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump and will see the UFC build an Octagon on the South Lawn to celebrate 250 years of the United States. Daukaus (17-4, 1 NC) finds himself on the undercard of the event headlined by Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje for the lightweight title and is in the thick of a career revival, having spent nearly three years outside the UFC after being cut in early 2023.
The American left the world’s flagship mixed martial arts promotion on a two-fight slip and a record of 11-4 but found his feet again in Cage Fury, winning four on the trot before being welcomed back by Dana White last year. American UFC middleweight Kyle Daukaus in 2022 (Getty) Daukaus has continued on his hot streak since returning, winning his first two fights back under the UFC banner via first-round finish, leading him to be paired against rising star Nickal (8-1) at this summer’s UFC Freedom 250. But given how much the UFC built the White House event as one of the most stacked fightcards in the promotion’s history - with Donald Trump going as far as to claim there would be eight to nine fights and that every one would be a title bout - this main-card clash of unranked middleweights has left fans feeling underwhelmed .
Daukaus can’t help but agree that he is perhaps not worthy of such a sought-after position, telling MMA Junkie : “You catch strays left and right, it’s going to happen. I’ve gotten a lot worse messages before being announced that I was on the White House and then afterwards, but it is what it is. “People are going to say what they’re want to say.
I'm not saying I deserve to be on here, which I don't believe I do just based off of the calibre of fighters that are on the card. ” Daukaus did, however, offer an explanation to why he thinks he made the card, highlighting the business downside to stacking the event with several title fights. ”People have to look at it as if it’s a business aspect,” he added.