Athletes
Daniil Donchenko | The Brutalist
Ukrainian Welterweight Chasing Bonuses, Bloody Encounters Inside The Octagon
There are a lot of reasons to be excited for Daniil Donchenko’s future in the UFC welterweight division, which officially gets underway this weekend in Las Vegas with a showdown against veteran Alex Morono that is slated to close out the prelims.
For starters, the 24-year-old Ukrainian prospect, who won the welterweight competition on the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter, is surrounded by outstanding coaches and mentors, including countryman Yaroslav Amosov and lightweight Rafael Fiziev, as well as the team at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas.
“Sometimes I do crazy things that no one understands why, so he said, ‘This guy needs a helmet,’” Donchenko said of Amosov, who made the joke about his friend and compatriot following his debut win in December, where the rambunctious young welterweight was in his corner; Amosov will return the favor this weekend.
READ: Saturday's Full Fight Card Preview
“Rafael is (such a) simple guy without a big ego,” he said of his Tiger Muay Thai teammate Fiziev. “When I prepared for my fight, he saw me, he said, ‘If you need any help, just text me, and I’ll come; I’ll work for you.’ He’s so respectful, such a good person. I really love to spar with him because this is such good sparring.
“One thing I like is Rafael punches hard, and sometimes, it’s really good to feel when someone punches hard. I need this because everyone will punch me hard inside the cage; I need to have this feeling.”
Daniil Donchenko Secures The Ultimate Fighter Win With Round 1 TKO | Noche UFC
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there`s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world`s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Daniil Donchenko Secures The Ultimate Fighter Win With Round 1 TKO | Noche UFC
/
His excitement over hard sparring rounds with Fiziev, where they’ve been known to give each other matching black eyes, and his joy when recounting the “50k rounds” he’s logged at Syndicate in the build to this weekend’s bout with Morono feed into the second piece of what makes Donchenko a fascinating fighter to track in the 170-pound ranks.
Simply put, he’s aggressive and violent (in the best ways possible) and wants nothing more than to step into the Octagon and deliver the most exciting fights possible.
RELATED: Fighters On The Rise
This was evident during his run through The Ultimate Fighter, where he battered Richard Martins in the opening round before stopping Matt Dixon in the semifinals. In the finale against Rodrigo Sezinando, Donchenko continued to showcase his attacking style and penchant for using his elbows expertly, as the moment he cut his fellow Team Cormier representative was the beginning of the end for the Brazilian.
“When I arrived at The Ultimate Fighter, they asked me, ‘What can you say about your fighting style?’ and I tell them, ‘I don’t know? I just want to put a lot of damage on my opponents,’” Donchenko said excitedly, addressing his approach and the obvious enjoyment he gets from being in blood-soaked battles. “There is blood, there is a lot of damage, and I know how it looks from the side when you’re full of blood, your opponent full of blood.
“When somebody cuts me too, I’m not going ‘Oh I’m bleeding;’ I get more excited like ‘I am bleeding! It will look sick!’” he added, happier than a child on Christmas that got everything on the wish list. “I’m just so excited, and the fans, the people watching, get so excited, and they make me fight the way that I fight because they will talk about this for my fights. They will say, ‘This guy is a beast. This guy is a big problem. He’s really savage.’”
For Donchenko, fighting isn’t just about competing against another individual and trying to stack up victories. Yes, winning is the aim, but he doesn’t just want to collect decisions; he’s looking to deliver highlights and claim bonuses.
“I don’t want to fight, make some decisions, maybe some (knockouts),” he said, his face scrunched up as if just speaking about such an approach was painful for him. “I really want to show all my energy. I don’t want to win just by KO —I win, but I win with a lot of energy; you feel this energy when I fight.”
FULL FIGHTS: Bautista vs Lopez | Oliveira vs Sopaj
He believes that he’ll have the opportunity to do that on Saturday evening when he steps in with Morono, who has logged 23 appearances inside the Octagon and carries a reputation for being a willing dance partner for anyone looking to sling hands and chase bonuses.
“February 7, it’s an amazing opportunity to do this with Alex, unless Alex will grapple with me,” Donchenko said, grinning. “Actually, I don’t care —I’m pretty confident in my defense, and he never did this in his career; he never shoots, he always tries to stand up and make an amazing fight. I hope this time will be the same and we will show a lot of action inside the Octagon and take this (bonus).
“This time it will be hard because a lot of great fighters on the card,” he added. “A lot of big names and a lot of guys with knockout power too, so it will be a challenge, but I think we will do it.”
After punching his ticket to the roster last September, Donchenko is now set to embark on his first year as a UFC fighter, and he has some pretty clear ideas about how he would like to see things play out and what he expects from himself going forward.
The Bigger Picture From UFC 325
“This year, I should make a lot of highlights, start my story in the UFC, make a lot of content for UFC, and I would like three, four fights,” he said when asked about his goals for 2026. “I want three finishes, good highlights for UFC, and then I will feel like ‘now it’s my time,’ and they will use these highlights.
“I’m ready to do this. I’m in no rush —I really want to fight, but I have time, I have the opportunity now,” he added. “I made it to this level with almost nothing —with (few) opportunities, without money —so imagine how much I will progress with this opportunity I have now? This opens a lot of options for me, and I will be so much stronger so fast because now I have this opportunity to train, to just stay focused.”
One thing he won’t do, however, is speak about standing triumphant in the center of the Octagon on Saturday; not out of superstition, but because even thinking about that moment fills him with too much energy.
“I prefer to not think about this right now because if I think about this, I’m prepared to run 10 kilometers because it makes me so excited,” said Donchenko, almost vibrating as he spoke about it, giving some insight into why Amosov suggested he needs a helmet. “It’s coming. I’m patient.
“I’ve already won in my head, I’m already a winner, so just (a few more days) and I will prove it to everyone. I will prove it in a brutal way.”
UFC Fight Night: Bautista vs Oliveira took place live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 7, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
Tags