"I want to call out Tony Ferguson" - Kyle Daukaus lays claim to 'D'arce Knight' nickname after submission win at UFC Fight Night
Kyle Daukaus scored a bonus-winning submission win over Jamie Pickett in the co-main event at UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Hill. Pickett submitted to a D'Arce choke from Daukaus a second before the bell sounded off in the opening round.
Daukaus went on to call out former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson, challenging his claim over the 'D'Arce Knight' nickname. Daukaus declared his new nickname as 'D'Arce Knight' since he has more D'Arce choke submission victories than Ferguson. In his post-fight octagon interview, Daukaus told Paul Felder:
"I want to call out Tony Ferguson. I have more D'Arce chokes. So I'm going to go for the 'D'Arce Knight'. My new nickname, 'D'Arce Knight'."
Watch Daukaus's call out to 'El Cucuy' below:
"I want to call out Tony Ferguson! I have more D'Arce chokes so I'm going to go for the D'Arce knight!" - @KyleDaukaus 😤
#UFCVegas48 https://t.co/8lP4OT1xFU
A black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Kyle Daukaus has emerged victorious using the D'Arce choke six times in his professional career. However, his victory over Jamie Pickett was the first time we saw him use the move in the UFC. Meanwhile, Tony Ferguson has three D'Arce choke finishes to his name, all of them inside the UFC.
The D'Arce choke gets its name from Joe D'Arce, a third-degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Renzo Gracie. However, he wasn't the one to invent the move. According to Luta Livre practitioner, Björn Dag Lagerström discovered the choke accidentally while attempting an Anaconda choke in practice. The title is courtesy of former UFC fighter Jason Miller, who was was caught unawares by the choke during a sparring session with Joe D'Arce.
Kyle Daukaus was expecting to make quick work of Jamie Pickett
Coming off a decision loss against Phil Hawes and then a no-contest against Kevin Holland, Kyle Daukaus was scheduled to face Julian Marquez on Saturday. However, Jamie Pickett agreed to fight Daukaus at catchweight after Marquez was forced to withdraw with less than a week to go for the bout.
Daukaus went in expecting to make quick work of Pickett if he landed the early takedown. The Philadelphia native told Just Scrap Radio on BJPenn.com:
“That first takedown that I get, if I get it, and I take him down and keep him down, I don’t see him lasting very long. I can kind of get a feeling that he will gas and it’s about me picking my shots and either TKO’ing him or submitting him early.”
Watch Kyle Daukaus' appearance on Just Scrap Radio below:
Daukaus is now 11-2-1 in his MMA career. Nine of his wins have come via submission.