Danill Donchenko is the welterweight winner of season 33 of The Ultimate Fighter, claiming that accolade by finishing teammate Rodrigo Sezinando in the opening bout of the Noche UFC 3 prelims.
Donchenko came out aggressive, despite Sezinando landing a pair of strong right hands. Sezinando scored a takedown and attempted to use his grappling, but Donchenko landed well in the clinch and then landed a strong elbow that opened up a cut around one of Sezinando’s eyes. The two continued to throw their power, with Donchenko troubling him at one point against the fence.
After a failed takedown attempt from Sezinando, Donchenko easily knocked Sezinando down with a flurry and finished things with ground-and-pound to become The Ultimate Fighter.
Danill Donchenko Becomes TUF 33 Welterweight Winner
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This fight had been originally scheduled to go down at UFC 319 last month, but the bout was delayed after Seinznado suffered an injury. Joseph Morales won the flyweight portion of TUF 33 at that event.
Sezinando, a member of Team Cormier, reached the final today with a unanimous decision over Diego Bianchini and a split decision win over teammate Jeff Creighton. Prior to the show, was 8-1, picking up a pair of titles on the regional circuit.
Donchenko, also a member of Team Cormier, advanced to the final with a decision over Richard Martins and a first-round finish of Matt Dixon. Prior to joining TUF, Donchenko was 11-2, which included a reign as Naiza FC’s lightweight champion in 2024.
