Another big weekend of MMA action is upon us. After Contender Series kicks off its eighth season on Tuesday night, the world of competitive violence picks back up again on Friday. On the eve of UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, the weekend of fights begins in Atlantic City for Cage Fury‘s CFFC 134.
Live coverage of CFFC 134 begins Friday evening at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT on the promotion’s OnlyFans channel with the undercard. Main card action follows at 8:30 pm ET/ 5:30 pm PT on UFC Fight Pass. The bout order has taken some hits ahead of this week’s show, however.
Initially, CFFC 134 was supposed to have been headlined by a fight for the CFFC Light Heavyweight Championship between current titleholder Luke Fernandez (3-0 MMA, 3-0 CFFC) and challenger Will Dicke (19-7 MMA, CFFC promotional debut). This contest was scrapped ahead of the show for the second consecutive booking due to the champion sustaining an injury. Originally, the two were scheduled to meet on April 12 but that fight was postponed.
Heavyweights Do Battle in CFFC 134 Main Event on Friday
Barring any further postponements between now and fight night, the final version of CFFC 134 features a total of eight bouts. Highlighting the night’s activities is a contest at 265 lbs. in the CFFC 134 main event.
Two former UFC competitors make their returns to the Atlantic City-based promotion for the headliner. Former CFFC Heavyweight Champion Chris Daukaus (12-7 MMA, 4-2 CFFC) battles Tafon Nchukwi (6-4 MMA, 2-0 CFFC).
With no title at stake, the CFFC 134 main event is an advertised maximum of three rounds at five minutes per round to close the show.
💥 𝑨𝑻𝑳𝑨𝑵𝑻𝑰𝑪 𝑪𝑰𝑻𝒀 𝑰𝑵 𝑨𝑼𝑮𝑼𝑺𝑻
Heavyweight hitters and CFFC alumni @chris_daukaus & @tafon_da_don return home to Cage Fury this summer to square off at the beautiful @hardrockhcac on Aug. 16 live on @ufcfightpass!#CFFC134 #MMA #UFC #DOAC pic.twitter.com/DHKOzslCvA— Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) (@CFFCMMA) July 8, 2024
CFFC 134 Main Event Fighter Comparison
Heading into the CFFC 134 main event on Friday night, Chris Daukaus stands as the taller man at 6-foot-3, compared to Tafon Nchukwi at six feet even. The latter owns a one-inch reach advantage (77 inches to 76 inches) over the former.
Currently, the oddsmakers have yet to release money lines for CFFC 134 on Friday night. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend in MMA and/or combat sports, please wager responsibly.
Daukaus Desperate to Stop Skid in CFFC 134 Main Event
Chris Daukaus enters the CFFC 134 main event, his return to the promotion, having gone 1-4 in his last five fights. At the moment, he’s on a four-fight losing streak.
Last time out, he dropped a first-round knockout (straight left) to Khalil Rountree Jr. (13-5, 1 NC MMA, 9-5, 1 NC UFC) during UFC Vegas 78 on Aug. 12 of last year. Shortly after that contest, Daukaus found himself cut from the UFC’s active roster.
Recently, Daukaus was interviewed by Cageside Press and talked about getting released.
“I took the four losses and I was injured,” Daukaus began. “I had an injury. I don’t want to say what the injury was. The type of injury I had, no athletic commission was going to sanction me to fight. Could it have been better conveyed to the matchmakers in the UFC? Yeah. It was the type of injury that happened, let’s say, it happened on a Wednesday and they reached out, the UFC reached out about a fight or something less than two days later, maybe three days later. I told them ‘I have an injury, I’ll send you all the documentation. I can’t fight'”.
Since then, he’s been out of action as far as MMA is concerned. Can Daukaus, a former member of the Philadelphia Police Department, get back in the win column on Friday night? Tune into the CFFC 134 main event and find out.
Tafon Nchukwi in Similar Predicament
In the other corner, Tafon Nchukwi has gone 1-4 himself over the course of his last five fights. Presently, he’s lost three fights in succession.
Back on Aug. 12, 2023, he sustained a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of AJ Dobson (7-3, 1 NC MMA, 1-3 UFC) in the selfsame UFC Vegas 78 that Daukaus was on. Much like his adversary in the CFFC 134 main event this coming Friday, Nchukwi also found himself out of the sport’s top promotion in the aftermath of that card.
“Misery loves company,” so goes the adage. How will the fight turn out on Friday? Only time will tell.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Stylistically, the CFFC 134 main event looks to favor Chris Daukaus, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, compared to Tafon Nchukwi’s status as a blue belt in BJJ.
Daukaus Doesn’t Mess Around
Chris Daukaus has finished 11 of his 12 victories by way of knockout, so he’ll try his best to end the fight inside the distance. Just look at the tape of his fight against Danny Holmes in CFFC 77 in August of 2019.
During round one of the fight, the two stalked one another while Holmes scored with kicks to the leg before Daukaus landed one to Holmes’ head, knocking his opponent down. While Daukaus tried to move in and land punches to the head, the referee had seen everything he needed to and wisely called an end to the contest.
If Chris Daukaus lands a single kick to the head right on the button, it could be game, set and match in the CFFC 134 main event.
Nchukwi Has a Kicking Game of His Own
In the other corner, Tafon Nchukwi sings the classic refrain “Anything you can do, I can do better.” He can end the fight with a kick in his own right, as illustrated in his Contender Series bout against Al Matavao in 2020.
Round two saw Nchukwi land a series of punches to the body, forcing Matavao to cover up and move out of harm’s way. While he returned fire with strikes of his own, Nchukwi proved to be too tough, mixing up his shots, finally ending the fight with a head kick to knock Matavao out on contact.
Just like Chris Daukaus, Tafon Nchukwi can end the CFFC 134 main event with one blow.
Final Thoughts
This looks to be a pretty interesting bout on paper in the CFFC 134 main event on Friday night. With this one taking place at heavyweight, a final piece of advice: Pop the corn ahead of the opening bell. You might not have much time after the fight starts.
Prediction: Chris Daukaus by First-Round Knockout.
