LONDON – If Marc Diakiese had gotten his wish, he wouldn’t have even fought at UFC on ESPN+ 5. A trio of losses made him think he needed time to rebuild himself on the local circuit before getting back to the big show.

“After the last fight, I wanted to get released (from contract), because I felt I’m young and learning, but I’m getting beat by mistakes,” Diakiese told reporters, including MMA Junkie, backstage at The O2.

Obviously, not getting his wish turned out pretty well. Diakiese (13-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) snapped his skid with a dominant win over Joseph Duffy (16-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC), outworking the Irish veteran for a unanimous decision.

The announcement of the win crumpled Diakiese, who broke down in tears and could barely pull himself together during his post-fight interview inside the octagon.

Backstage, he was all smiles.

“I had a lot of doubters, like, yeah after this, he’s out, so it’s nice to get this win out of the way,” Diakiese said.

One major improvement Diakiese credited is his move back home to the U.K., where he got his start. Although he valued his time stateside at American Top Team, he said he got more personal attention with his former crew.

Once a hot prospect in the UFC’s lightweight division, Diakiese can do all the rebuilding he wants inside the promotion. He’s not in a rush.

“I’m just going to be a lot smarter now, not just taking fight after fight,” he said. “I’ll take my time and see what’s next.”

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