Kyle Daukaus delivered a shocking finish in his return to the Octagon earlier this morning (Sat., Aug. 23, 2025) at UFC Shanghai LIVE on ESPN+ from inside the Shanghai Indoor Stadium in Shanghai, China, stopping veteran Michel Pereira with a nasty 43-second first-round knockout (punch and elbows).
Daulaus, who was a sizeable betting underdog coming into Saturday’s card, was making his first UFC appearance since 2022. His first run with the promotion wasn’t the most successful one, but after turning
in four-straight wins on the regional circuit Daukaus was welcomed back by UFC matchmakers. It turned out to be a tremendous decision for all parties except Pereira.
While Pereira was the more dangerous striker coming into this middleweight fight it was Daukaus who was looking to push the pressure early on. Surprisingly, Daukaus even appeared to be the bigger fighter. A few moments passed and Daukaus launched a perfectly-timed right hook that clipped Pereira and sent him crashing to the canvas. Daukaus followed up with nasty ground-and-pound elbows to put the finishing touches on his UFC return.
Check out the video highlights below and let us know how Daukaus will fare in his second run with UFC!
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