Kyle Daukaus will show President Trump his ‘dad strength’ as he reps Philly at UFC’s White House ‘spectacle’

In two months, UFC will be making its highly-anticipated return to Philadelphia.

UFC 330, which is set for Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena, will be the company’s first major championship event held in the city in 15 years. With its return, plenty of Philly fighters are already eyeing the card for the opportunity to fight in front of their hometown crowd, including 33-year-old Kyle Daukaus.

“It would be amazing to be on that card,” Daukaus, a Father Judge graduate, said. “Growing up 25 minutes from the stadiums, going to all of them when I was a kid — it was really amazing to kind of grow up here and be a fan of these sports. But to go out there and perform in front of fans at that stadium would be amazing.”

Before he can cross that off his bucket list, Daukaus has one obstacle in his way: former Penn State wrestler — and three-time NCAA champion — Bo Nickal. Daukaus will face Nickal Sunday in a middleweight bout at UFC Freedom 250, on the South Lawn of the White House on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.

Being included on the much smaller card — this weekend’s event will feature seven bouts, compared with about a dozen on a normal card — was an honor for Daukaus.

“Obviously fighters want to be on the card because of the spectacle that it is, and how amazing it is and how crazy it is,” Daukaus said. “I knew that they were only going to have like six to eight fights on the card, and I really didn’t think I would have been one of them. Finding out that I was one of them shows that they have belief in me to go out there and have the performance that can get more eyes on the sport.”

Daukaus (17-4) was originally scheduled to fight Vicente Luque at UFC 327 in April. But a day after signing the contract, he got the call to fight against Nickal (8-1) at the White House event. The card also includes a pair of title bouts and names like Ilia Topuria, Justin Gaethje, Alex Pereira, Sean O’Malley, Michael Chandler, and Derrick Lewis.

Daukaus, who co-owns The Forge MMA gym on Academy Road in the Northeast with his brother and former UFC fighter Chris, is currently riding a two-fight win streak. Daukaus was released by UFC in 2022. Since his return, he’s picked up a pair of first-round wins, knocking out Michel Pereira and beating Gerald Meerschaert by submission.

The Philly native was 4-4 in his first UFC stint. Following his release, he fought in Atlantic City-based Cage Fury Fighting Championships, where he won four consecutive matches before re-signing with UFC in April 2025.

So, what’s different this time around? “Dad strength” — and a new perspective.

“I have two kids now, so dad strength is something that has been brought to me,” Daukaus said. “But just my maturity levels. I feel like ever since I had my first son, I’ve been more mature with myself.

“I’ve realized there’s a lot more to this game than me. I’m doing this for them as opposed to just me. So I feel like that is a little bit extra motivation. These last two fights have been something. I’ve had good performances and it showed that I can kind of take on any challenge they put against me.”

His next challenge comes with an elite pedigree on the mats and is fresh off a head-kick knockout win over Rodolfo Vieira. Heading into the matchup, Daukaus is cautious of Nickal’s wrestling ability, but believes his own jiujitsu skills can hold up on the ground.

“I’m not afraid,” Daukaus said. “Obviously, if it was a straight wrestling match, I would be screwed. He’s a good wrestler, but with jiujitsu and everything like that, there’s a lot of things that I can [use to] counter. But I’m not solely focused on being defensive against him. I have to be offensive to make sure he worries about me.”

What can fans can expect from his White House performance? Daukaus thinks it’ll be his best yet.

“I feel like I need these opponents that kind of push me to get me up early to make sure that I’m training where I can train,” he said. “I’m going to go out there and put on the best performance that I possibly can to make sure the fans are excited.

“And obviously, being at the White House, we can’t have any of these lazy performances. We got to go out there and make sure we can showcase some skills and get the fans’ eyes on the event.”

If he does that — and doesn’t suffer any major cuts or bruises along the way — Daukaus will begin to turn his attention toward a possible UFC 330 fight.

“I would be a liar to say that it wasn’t in the back of my mind,” Daukaus said. “I know it’s about nine weeks after [Sunday’s fight]. So I can take that week off as long as there’s no injuries or anything like that and then get back right back into camp.

“Would it be a lot on myself? Yes, it would be a lot going back to camp like that. But it would be something super special.”