Daniil Donchenko is pleased with his UFC Fight Night 287 performance Saturday, and his mind is already fixated on what could be next.
In the cage post-fight, Donchenko (15-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) name-dropped who he wants next. That's longtime UFC welterweight Daniel Rodriguez, who recently lost to Uros Medic. Donchenko elaborated on the callout backstage at Accor Arena in Paris.
"Please, let me fight just with him," Donchenko said (h/t UFC). "But to be honest, it would be cool end of the year, like the last event of the end of the year. If not, any date in the APEX as a five-round fight. I want to test my stamina better. But people will think (Soriano) took me on the ground and I was tired. No, just knew that I won all the rounds, so I didn't rush, to be honest.
I don't know why. But I will not do it next time. I will adjust and adapt and fight until the end."
Ukraine's Donchenko appeased the judges during his three-round unanimous decision win over Puna Soriano on Saturday's main card. He won almost every round on every card, with one lone judge, Eric Colon, giving Round 3 to Soriano, likely due to massive takedown at the end of the round.
Donchenko said the takedown was in part due to his own confidence that he was up on the scorecards. The silver lining, however, is that he thinks his failure in that moment will give future opponents faulty confidence about their prospects of taking the fight to the canvas against him.
"He bring it on the ground in the third round," Donchenko said. "I felt like I could stand up. But to be honest, I don't know why, maybe because I felt like I won the fight, so I don't really stand up to rush. I just played for show. He lifted me and I do some show. I felt like I could stand up. But you know, this is good. Now my next opponent will think, 'We can wrestle with him.' I will say, 'Let's go.'"
Life is good right now for the 25-year-old. He's won four UFC fights in his first 12 months with the promotion in a division that can always use rising talent. Donchenko is just soaking in the moments.
"I'm living the American dream, to be honest," Donchenko said. "My life is a dream. All the fighters who train, they dream about my life. I'm just so thankful to the UFC and thankful to God and all you UFC staff here. You're amazing."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Daniil Donchenko has specific UFC veteran in mind for next fight
