CALGARY – Coming off a terrible UFC debut – one that produced the first blemish on his MMA record – Hakeem Dawodu had a few things to prove at Saturday’s UFC on FOX 30 ebent.

“A, I was like, I can’t let this guy come to my city and take away the W from me,” Dawodu told reporters, including MMAjunkie, backstage at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. “But B, also, proving that I belong in the UFC and I wasn’t just picking my opponents when I was undefeated in previous leagues.”

The weight that Dawodu (8-1-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) carried into the FOX-televised preliminary-card featherweight bout against Austin Arnett (15-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) certainly helps explain his emotional reaction to walking away with a clean, dominant decision win.

“It was everything (that made me emotional),” Dawodu said. “Having a hard upbringing. Being in the UFC. Performing in front of my home city. In front of all my friends and everyone I grew up with. Coming off that loss, revenge. It was just so many emotions I didn’t even know what I was doing. It just kind of came out.”

Dawodu had a thin line to thread as he looked to return to the win column in a hometown bout. On the one hand, he had to work at somewhat tuning out the excited crowd so that he could listen to his corner’s instructions and not let himself land in bad positions by getting carried away.

At the same time, though, it’s hard not to let any of it get to you – especially when you get the type of pop that Dawodu did. Thankfully, the bit that did come through only served only to help push Dawodu to what was ultimately a breezy victory.

“It was really nice to just feel all the love, everyone behind me,” Dawodu said. “So I definitely – it gave me energy, especially at the end there. I knew I was two rounds ahead. I was like, ‘I’m going to try to, you know, put the seal on the show.’ But he stuck in there an he kept his distance and he didn’t let me get too close.”

Here’s some of the highlights (via Twitter):

The bout left Dawodu with injured shins, and he wants to let those heal up before making any plans for the future. After that, though, he intends to jump right back into camp and prepare for his third UFC outing.

He said he’d welcome a home fight again, meaning that the UFC’s next planned incursions to Canada – UFC Fight Night 138 on Oct. 27 and UFC 231 on Dec. 8. – could be options.

When it comes to possible competition, Dawodu said he’s not one to handpick opponents and will let his management and UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby figure it out. But that’s not to say he doesn’t have any idea of what his future will look like.

“Now that I’m back on my winning ways, I definitely want to be the face of Canadian MMA,” Dawodu said. “I think I’ve got the looks, I think I’ve got the personality, and I’d love to represent Canadian MMA.”

To hear from Dawodu, check out the video above.

And for complete coverage of UFC on FOX 30, check out the UFC Events section of the site.