Phil Hawes is 3-0 in the UFC after his win at UFC Vegas 26. Hawes was victorious via unanimous decision over Kyle Daukaus at the end of three rounds.
Although he had a bit of a scare in the second round, Hawes showed great conditioning, decisive striking power, and relentless grappling to beat Daukaus. Incidentally, the fight was the opening bout on the main card. In the end, two judges scored the bout 30-26 and the one had it 29-27.
“For me, all these people I’m fighting are setting me in line with Izzy,” he says. Eventually, Hawes sees himself challenging Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title. In the meantime, Hawes is taking “baby steps” in order to build himself into a better fighter.
‘Megatron’ recognizes the fact that he will have to improve his cardio if he is to compete with the best. Moreover, Phil is happy to accept fights on short notice and continue to gain an understanding of the fighters in the division.
Previously, Hawes made quite the entrance after beating Jacob Malkoun via KO/TKO at UFC 254. Thereafter, he beat Nassourdine Imavov by majority decision four months later on Feb 21, 2021. According to Phil, he has found similarities between these fighters and Israel Adesanya.
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How did Phil Hawes Win Against Kyle Daukaus?
“It feels good, especially against a tough guy like Kyle Daukaus,” says Phil speaking about the fight. “He rocked me and just like the last fight, it kind of woke me up. Once someone hits you good and they see that it doesn’t knock you down, they begin to break.”
Phil Hawes and Kyle Daukaus face-off in front of the press during UFC Fight Night | Vegas 26: Rodriguez vs Waterson at UFC Apex on May 7, 2021, in Las Vegas, NV.(Credits: Getty Images)
A spinning back fist by Daukaus in the second round left Hawes dazed and wobbly. However, as Daukaus went for the finish Hawes was able to grab into the clinch to get back into the fight. Soon after, Hawes began finding success both on his feet and whilst wrestling on the ground. By the end of the third round, Daukaus was somehow able to hold on and resists Hawes.
Phil is 32 and fights out of North Bergen, New Jersey. He has now won seven fights in a row, with the last three in the UFC. As such, Hawes is proving to be a fierce contender in the middleweight division and his latest victory will serve as a great stepping stone for his UFC career.
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