Following his release from the UFC last year, bantamweight Russell Doane took some time off before returning to action on March 2 at Destiny MMA versus Diego Silva.
For Doane, the goal was to get back on the winning track following a stretch of five losses in his last six bouts. Over the course of three rounds Doane was able to implement a new style and pick up a unanimous decision victory over Silva.
“I did exactly what I wanted,” Doane told MMAWeekly.com. “I wanted to be smart instead of that crazy headhunter person that just wants to kill. I had him hurt a couple of times, but I knew he wanted to tie me up, so I tried to keep my distance and play it smart. I wouldn’t say I’m happy with my performance, but I did really well.”
The win over Silva was Doane’s first fight in over a year. During his time off Doane reassessed his fight philosophy and was able to showcase his new outlook in his victory.
“(Before) I would just go in there headhunting; I wouldn’t take the time to slow things down or anything,” said Doane. “As soon as I felt ready mentally and physically, the first fight I was offered, I said yes. I didn’t have to look at him or anything; I just knew I was ready to go again.
“I’m happy I know what I need to work on, so as much as I can I want to be active. You can only train that thing in the gym a million times, but once you put it into practice in a real fight – and that’s what I want – and the only way to do that is stay active. That’s the only thing you can possibly do.”
This article first appeared at News – MMAWeekly.com
