Drakkar Klose says he is back, and he says Tommy Gantt is going to pay for it at Noche UFC. After a long layoff caused by the shoulder tear he suffered against Edson Barboza, Klose said he expects to make the fight ugly, stop Gantt in the third round and move on to a bigger name if the night goes his way.
The timing matters because Klose last fought in August 2025, beat Barboza by decision and then had to shut down for months while his shoulder healed. He said a doctor who works for the Dodgers told him the recovery would take about nine to 12 months, and he was not feeling fully right until after Tommy McMillen’s last fight, even though he had been back in the gym and giving rounds to other fighters for about six months.
Klose said he had not known much about Gantt when the booking came together, only that coaches around him had some wrestling familiarity with the opponent. Once he looked at the footage, he came away unimpressed, saying the clips showed Gantt fighting men with losing records and little else to learn from. That is how Klose framed the matchup: not as a dangerous step up, but as a fight against a 33-year-old who has to perform now.
What gives the bout its edge is that Klose does not expect Gantt to stay in the pocket. He said Gantt does not like getting hit and will look for takedowns whenever he is put in a bad spot, which is why Klose said he has spent the whole camp wrestling and is ready to make the fight dirty. He also pointed out that Gantt trains with Daniel Cormier and is improving his wrestling and clinch work, but Klose said he is comfortable there too and still believes the finish comes in the third.
There is also a clear reward waiting if Klose gets his hand raised. He said he had asked Hunter about fighting on the Phoenix card before the Gantt booking came in, expected something with a bigger name and would rather keep climbing than settle into a holding pattern. If he beats Gantt, Klose wants Beneil Dariush again and said he believes Dariush has one more left. That is the fight Klose is chasing next, but first he has to prove the shoulder, the layoff and the confidence all still hold up when the cage door closes.
