UFC newcomer Tom Duquesnoy after debut win: Step by step, 'I will be sure to win the title'

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – French bantamweight prospect Tom Duquesnoy delivered on the hype that was given to him ahead of UFC on FOX 24, and he’s not afraid to admit his ultimate goals are at the top of the division.

“Fire Kid” knows there are some intermediary steps along the way, but he feels confident his destiny is certain.

“I want to do everything step by step, as I always did in my career, so I will be sure to win the title,” Duquesnoy said following his UFC on FOX 24 victory.

Duquesnoy (15-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), just 23, debuted on the FOX-broadcast prelims of Saturday’s card, where he met Patrick Williams (8-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. Duquesnoy came in with quite a bit of hype, with some labeling him Europe’s top prospect, and he admitted there were nerves in the early going.

“UFC is a dream come true,” Duquesnoy said. “But it is also the continuation of my professional goals. It’s a mix of, ‘That’s normal,’ and a mix of, ‘I’m very glad, actually.’

“It’s a big thing. I used to fight for a lot of main events, but you can’t compare with a show like UFC.”

Williams presented some problems early, even sending Duquesnoy to the canvas. But the bantamweight insisted it wasn’t a clear knockdown.

“Loss of balance,” Duquesnoy explained. “Patrick Williams is very powerful, very explosive, very unpredictable, and I think he caught me with a right hand, probably, and I lost my balance, and maybe that put me on the ground.”

But as time wore on, Duquesnoy settled in and started to take over. At the close of the opening round, he landed a series of elbows that sent Williams to the mat at the bell. Duquesnoy oozed confidence as he walked back to his corner, and in truth, the fight probably could have been waved off there.

“I was about to finish him, but the bell rang, Duquesnoy said. “But I felt that was the end, so it motivated me to continue the round – inhale, exhale and be ready for the next one. In my head, I wanted to try to finish him at that point. I felt that was about to arrive.”

Sure enough, Duquesnoy came out aggressively in the second, and another barrage of elbows landed cleanly, which ended the fight just 28 seconds into the round.

“From the very beginning of my career, I’ve always been using elbows,” Duquesnoy said. “It is also one of the things I work a lot every day. That’s one of the European things because we have a high level of kickboxing and muay Thai over there, so against the high-level American wrestlers, I’m trying to use the elbow like an anti-wrestling game.”

Duquesnoy now owns an 11-fight winning streak, and his lone loss came to current UFC featherweight Makwan Amirkhani in 2013.

The UFC’s bantamweight division may now be more competitive than ever, but Duquesnoy said he’s heading for the top.

“Step by step,” Duquesnoy said. “I will do everything to get the belt as soon as possible.”

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 24, check out the UFC Events section of the site.