Kyle Daukaus vs Phil Hawes — Fight recap

Phil Hawes defeated Kyle Daukaus via unanimous decision over three rounds at UFC Fight Night on May 8, 2021. Hawes dominated the striking exchanges, landing 66 of 101 significant strikes (65%) compared to Daukaus's 28 of 82 (34%), while controlling the cage for 5:34 to Daukaus's 4:13.

The middleweight contender also secured two takedowns at a 50% clip, though Daukaus stuffed five attempts and never found his footing offensively. Daukaus's wrestling proved ineffective—0 of 7 takedowns—and his striking accuracy remained well below Hawes's output throughout the bout.

Hawes's superior striking volume and defensive grappling secured all three rounds on the judges' scorecards. The victory positioned Hawes as a rising threat in the middleweight division while exposing limitations in Daukaus's ability to impose his game plan against a well-rounded opponent.