ATLANTA – Brandon Davis had to endure some challenging moments at UFC 236, but ultimately he came out triumphant in his bantamweight debut.

Davis (10-6 MMA, 2-3 UFC) dropped down to the 135-pound weight class for the first time Saturday and netted a second-round submission of octagon newcomer Randy Costa(4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in a back-and-forth affair.

During his post-fight interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan, Davis issued a callout of undefeated rising star Sean O'Malley (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who has been out of action since March 2018 due to injury and a case with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

When speaking to the media backstage, Davis explained exactly why he wants the fight.

“He likes to stand and bang, I like to stand and bang – why not?” Davis told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight at UFC 236. “It’s a fun fight of the fans. I feel like it could be a fun fight for me and him. He could catch me, I could catch him. You don’t know where it’s going to go. I don’t feel like he’s fought too high of opponents.

“I can’t say a high opponent I just got dropped by (Costa), but I’ve fought some good people and even Zabit (Magomedsharipov) couldn’t drop me, so I feel like it would be a fun fight for the fans.”

UFC 236 took place at State Farm Arena. Davis vs. Costa streamed on UFC Fight Pass prior to televised prelims on ESN and the pay-per-view main card.

Davis entered UFC 236 on a two-fight and in desperate need of a victory to salvage his octagon career. He said he felt like he was in a must-win spot, and now that he delivered, he said he feels reinvigorated.

“100 percent (it was) do or die,” Davis said. “Especially a debut guy that hasn’t had that many fights. If I had lost to him it’s over and I don’t know if I would’ve even tried to make it back I might’ve been like, ‘(Expletive) it.’ But nah, I feel good. I got a lot left in me. I feel like I could go out there and fight again.”

Davis’ fight with Costa was his first in the bantamweight division, and he said he needed to make serious sacrifices to get there. He said he cut out drinking alcohol and ran 20 miles per day in order to make the weight, and by the time he stepped in the octagon at UFC 236 had ballooned back up to 160 pounds.

Staying in the weight class will require dedication year-round, but Davis said he’s willing to put in the work. He felt he would handle Costa more easily in the cage, but said it was a positive sign that he was able to overcome some adversity.

“I thought it would be a more dominant performance on my part,” Davis said. “I’ve never even been rocked at 145. I’m not going to blame it on the cut. The dude caught me pretty good, but I’m not just going to lay down and let you have it. You’re going to have to put me out. All the way out.”

For complete coverage of UFC 236, check out the UFC Events section of the site.