Kyle Daukaus is ecstatic he’s getting the chance to fight at Madison Square Garden at UFC 322.

Daukaus returned to the UFC back in August with a 43-second knockout win over Michel Pereira. After the win, Daukaus turned his attention to UFC 322 as he said fighting at Madison Square Garden has been a bucket list item for him.

“My wife is pregnant and she is due the first or second week of December,” Daukaus said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “My plan was to wait until next year, or if possible, get one more in before that. I talked to my manager and asked if there was any way to get on the MSG card. Three days later, I got the call that I’d be on it and be fighting Meerschaert. It’s perfectly in place that the due date is like two weeks after that.”

Although the goal for Daukaus was to fight at MSG, he is also excited about the opponent.

Kyle Daukaus will face Gerald Meerschaert at UFC 322 in an intriguing middleweight fight. Daukaus is also excited for the matchup as he knows ‘GM3’ poses a lot of challenges and is a good test for him.

“I’ve watched him for a long time; he’s a very good fighter,” Daukaus said. “He’s experienced, and he’s very dangerous. He shines in the later rounds. A lot of fights don’t go his way at the beginning of the fight. I’m excited to test myself against him. I look forward to going out there and showcasing my skills.”

Kyle Daukaus expects to finish Gerald Meerschaert at UFC 322

Even though Daukaus believes Meerschaert is a tough out, Daukaus believes he has all the tools to get an early finish.

“I know I’m going to get my hand raised. I feel like this is a good matchup for me. I’m better than him, striking, grappling, aggression, all that stuff. I’m going to be able to get the finish in the first round,” Daukaus said.

Should Daukaus get an early finish at UFC 322, as he expects, he believes he could get a ranked opponent next.

“Ideally, it puts me in the top-20 guys, the guys that aren’t ranked. A good win and a good finish could get me someone at the bottom of the rankings. Not too concerned about where this puts me, though,” Daukaus concluded.