Bantamweight Russell Doane (15-9, 3-5 UFC) has been cut from the UFC, and now he's attempting to transform a career setback into positive long-term results.

When speaking to FloCombat, Doane exclusively confirmed he is no longer a member of the UFC's roster.

The Hawaiian fighter burst into the national spotlight at UFC Fight Night 34 in Singapore back in 2014. Winning his first two UFC bouts, including a UFC 175 main card scrap with Marcus Brimage, Doane has since dropped five out of his last six matchups. Ultimately, the losing streak resulted in his forced departure.

“I’m not gonna be a f*cking crybaby. I lost,” Doane said. “I’m going to go out and get some wins, do what I have to do, and do what got me there. They’ll bring me back. The only thing I can do from here is go out, beat the sh*t out of some people, and get some wins on my record until they come back and say they want me back—the usual."

Never interested in ducking fights or in turning down a short-notice UFC offer, Doane didn’t take the easiest route possible. Reflecting on his UFC tenure, he has zero regrets.

“Do I wish I did anything differently?” Doane said. “No. It was the ride it was because I wanted to f*cking fight. Who doesn’t want the extra money? Who doesn’t want to fight? It’s weird when fighters don’t want to fight. What do you mean you don’t want to fight? That’s what we do, dude.

“I took a fight on five days’ notice against a guy in Mirsad Bektic, who’s gigantic. I don’t know if you’ve seen him in person, but he’s huge. I’m like, ‘F*ck it, I’ll fight him on five days’ notice. Put me in there.’ It led me to getting eventually cut. But what happens when people get cut? They get more drive.”

For the past few months, Doane has been trying to get his life back in order. Moving his family to California earlier this year posed some insurmountable problems. Shortly thereafter, the Doane clan packed up their things once again and moved back home to The Aloha State.

“My family is just as, if not way more, important than fighting,” Doane said. “It’s a supplement to my fighting. It’s the reason I fight. It’s the reason I drive. Now, I’ve got everything together.”

And while Doane felt his UFC release was inevitable, once he received official word from the UFC, emotions resurfaced he hadn’t felt in quite some time.

“What happens when your dreams take a little tumble?” Doane said. “By all means if you’re going to fall off the wagon and quit, it’s not really much of a dream for you. Knock me off the boat and I’m getting f*cking back in the boat. You’re not going to leave me in the water. Hell no.”

“Everything is just the same it was before I got in the UFC. The same drive is there to get back to the UFC—back to where I know I belong. Because honestly, it’s where I belong. Life took its turn. I didn’t really get the outcomes I wanted, but I belong there. I do.”

What’s next for Doane? The first point of action is to get back in the win column as soon as possible. For the occasion, Doane has a specific event in mind—the first major MMA event to be held in Hawaii in over a decade: Bellator 211.

The opportunity alone would be a dream come true for Doane, who hasn’t competed on home soil in over five years. He hopes Scott Coker, Rich Chou, and the rest of the Bellator MMA brass give him a shot to thrill the home crowd.

“I haven’t fought on Hawaiian soil for like six years or so,” Doane said. “How do you explain fighting in front of your friends and family? How do you explain that? Then you put it on a show like Bellator?

“Most people don’t see Bellator [on the] same level as the UFC, but Bellator has really good guys. They’re one of the bigger platforms. I’m super down to fight in front of my friends and family, and I’m super down to do it for a big promotion.”