Athletes
Drakkar Klose Makes The Walk With A Heavy Heart
Lightweight Fighting To Honor His Slain Brother Tuan Saturday At UFC Tampa
You could describe Tuan Williams as Drakkar Klose’s unofficial cornerman. As long as Klose has been fighting, Williams was scouting, telling his brother who was on the come-up in the lightweight division and who he might be fighting. And before the fight even got signed for this Saturday night in Tampa, Williams told his little bro he was going to be in the Octagon with Joel Alvarez.
“He would make it to all my fights,” said Klose. “The only one that he had missed was the Brazil one (in May against Joaquim Silva) because everyone was scared of the violence, the crime and stuff.”
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Sadly, that crime and violence hit home in August, when Williams was murdered in Kalamazoo, Michigan, allegedly by Travon Ahmaray-Trenton Blakely, a 26-year-old well known by authorities for mental health issues and violent crimes against others. He was also someone the 44-year-old Williams, a husband and father of five, tried to help.
“The kid stabbed him 20 times and my brother didn't even know,” said Klose. “I guess he did it from behind, so my brother didn't even have an opportunity to see it coming. But this guy had a history of doing bad things. Two weeks prior he stabbed someone in the face and they sent him to the hospital. They just medicated him and then let him right back out. That guy should have never been on the streets. And it just sucks that it had to be my brother. It shouldn't have been to anyone.”
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Not the timing is ever good for something like this, but Klose has one of the biggest fights of his life coming up, making things even worse. But he is finding solace in the fact that several members of his family will be with him in Florida, and that Tuan will be with him when he makes the walk to the Octagon. It’s been a whirlwind few months, to say the least.
Drakkar Klose KOs Solecki via Slam | UFC Austin
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Drakkar Klose KOs Solecki via Slam | UFC Austin
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“I buried my brother, and as soon as I got back, I found out I had this fight,” said Klose. “So that kind of took my mind off thinking about that. It was a good distraction, and I really didn't have time to mourn. So I think after this fight I'm going to take the proper time. I wish he was still here. I know he is here in spirit, but it's not the same. But I know he'll be there with me on the 14th.”
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And if he was here in body, he’d be telling Klose to be on point and put those miles in, because Alvarez, who has finished each of his 21 wins, including back-to-back victories over Marc Diakiese and Elves Brener, is no one to overlook. Luckily, Klose knows what he’s in for at Amalie Arena, and if he wins his fifth in a row, he believes he can’t be ignored for a shot in the lightweight Top 15.
“I think that me and Alvarez could beat a lot of these top guys,” said Klose. “He's a tough opponent, the type of guy that makes me want to get up in the morning and put those extra miles in.”
Those extra miles on the road have been supplemented by extra rounds with tall opponents in the MMA Lab gym to replicate Alvarez’ 6-foot-3 frame for the 5-foot-9 Klose.
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“If I can stay in my range and try to stay up to his range, I think this should be a good night for me,” he said, confident that he’s got the power to hurt Alvarez and the wrestling to allow him to dictate the location of the fight. That’s what got Klose to this point in the UFC, where he’s 9-2, with his only loss since 2017 was a 2020 defeat to Beneil Dariush that he was on the verge of winning before getting caught and stopped by the perennial contender. So the Michigan native has been very good for a very long time in a shark tank of a division, and now he’s ready to start reaping the rewards.
Drakkar Klose TKOs Jenkins | UFC Fight Night: Luque vs Muhammad 2
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Drakkar Klose TKOs Jenkins | UFC Fight Night: Luque vs Muhammad 2
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That starts with a win over Alvarez and a shout out to the man who he’s dedicating the fight and the rest of his career to.
His brother, Tuan.
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“He was always there and would push me, and before he was murdered, he told me that this was probably one of the guys that I was probably going to end up fighting and now it's come to fruition,” said Klose. “So now, hopefully, I can just go out there and get this victory for him.”
UFC Fight Night: Covington vs Buckley took place live from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on December 14, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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