Athletes
Drakkar Klose Is Tuning Out The Noise
Divisional Stalwart Is Determined To Continue His Current Winning Streak And Make It Four In A Row By Defeating Joaquim Silva At UFC 301.
Drakkar Klose is a patient man. And if he extends his current winning streak to four by beating Joaquim Silva in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, he’s expecting that patience to pay off with a Top 15 ranking in the lightweight division and the big fights he’s been chasing.
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“I think my performances speak for themselves,” said Klose. “I don't have boring fights, and I always go out there and leave it all on the line. And as long as I just keep getting wins, I think everything else will speak for itself.”
It should, because since suffering the first loss of his career to David Teymur in December of 2017, the Michigan native has been on a tear, winning six of seven fights with the only loss coming against Beneil Dariush in a barnburner that Klose was a punch or two away from winning.
How To Watch And Stream UFC 301: Pantoja vs Erceg
That’s impressive. But Klose is a reserved family man who just welcomed a son, Knight, into the world with his lady, fellow UFC fighter Cortney Casey, making it two young men to take care of mom and dad in the house, and he isn’t the type to make a lot of noise on social media or in interviews. He goes to the gym, works hard, makes weight and fights. Sometimes that makes it hard to make headway in a division where most of the Top 10 consists of household names entrenched where they are. Yet the 36-year-old sees some light at the end of the tunnel as some fairly new names such as Benoit Saint Denis, Jalin Turner, Rafael Fiziev, Mateusz Gamrot and Arman Tsarukyan make their moves.
“I think within these next six months, I think there's going to be a lot of movement in the division,” said Klose, optimistic that his time is coming soon. “All I really need is my opportunity. That's all I need, to show everyone that I belong in that Top 15. So I just got to go out there and get the job done with Joaquin.”
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Silva has been in the UFC since Klose was a 5-0 prospect on the rise, and while he’s had his ups and downs, he always shows up to finish, and he can sneak up on anybody if they’re not careful, as he showed in his December win over Clay Guida. Plus, he’s fighting at home in Brazil, which is always an X factor for a visiting opponent. But Klose doesn’t seem bothered by the prospect of being the target of boos this weekend.
“I don't think it's really going to really bother me too much,” he said. “I'm there to get that victory. And most of the time I don't let the outside distractions get to me. I really don't listen to any of the stuff that people are saying anyway, so I don't think it really should bother me too much. I know the crowd's going to be crazy and I'm kind of excited to get that feeling.”
He’s more excited to get that winning feeling and add to the streak that has seen him beat Brandon Jenkins, Rafa Garcia and Joe Solecki, taking home bonus checks for his knockouts of Jenkins and Solecki. Then it’s back home to Cortney, Kingston and Knight, an Arizona summer, and hopefully a call with a fight against a Top 15 opponent. In other words, enjoying the ride.
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“I don't know how many more of these I got left, and hopefully I have a lot more, but I just got to sit here and enjoy everything and make sure I am able to take care of my family while I'm doing it,” Klose said. “So taking care of my family is pretty much the only thing on my mind right now. Winning and just being able to support them.”
UFC 301: Pantoja vs Erceg took place live from Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 4, 2024. See the Final Prelim and Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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