That drive produced nine consecutive victories at the start of his professional career, including a win early in Season 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series, which eventually translated into a call to compete on the biggest stage in the sport.
Although it has yet to translate into a string of positive results, Daukaus isn’t deterred by setbacks like the one he experienced in June.
“I can’t go in there and expect to win every single fight,” he said matter-of-factly. “I have to control what I can control every single fight, and that night was a bad night. I’ve had bad nights prior, but losing isn’t something that is different or unfamiliar to me.
“When I was an amateur, I lost a ton, and I lost in high school and stuff like that. I know what losing is like, I know how to deal with it, and I’ve dealt with it well every single time”
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And just as he’s not held back by the occasional negative result, you won’t find Daukaus espousing any “I’m just happy to be here” rhetoric this week, either, because while he is happy to be competing at this level and returning to action this weekend, he still has much bigger goals to chase down.
“I had the idea of being out for a year, but I never thought I would never be able to fight again,” he said. “Obviously my wife, and I’m sure my family, maybe thought that, but I wasn’t getting into that mindset. I’m not getting into that sad thing where I want everyone to think about me like I feel bad for myself.
“I’m very thankful for where I am in life and being in the UFC, but being in the UFC wasn’t my ultimate goal — my ultimate goal was being UFC champion,” he added. “I still have that goal set and that drive to get there, and I wasn’t going to let a couple breaks in my face stop me from getting to where I want to be.”
