Daniil Donchenko trades in fight-ending damage.
The 24-year-old Ukrainian on Tuesday put himself in position to compete for an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract, as he dispatched Matt Dixon with first-round punches in “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 33 welterweight semifinals at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The decisive victory thrusts Donchenko into a showdown with Team Cormier stablemate Rodrigo Sezinando in the 170-pound final.
Dixon was simply outgunned. Donchenko shredded him with standing elbows, one of which tore open a horrendous gash above his right eye. He swarmed Dixon with punches, forced him to retreat to the canvas and connected with at least one illegal hammerfist to the back of the head.