LAS VEGAS – Kevin Jousset is eager to climb the welterweight ranks after winning his sophomore octagon appearance at UFC Fight Night 233.

Jousset (10-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) earned a convincing unanimous decision victory over Song Kenan on Saturday at the UFC Apex, and now he’s looking for a step up in competition, and thinks Daniel Rodriguez would be a good fit after his recent clearance from a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) suspension.

“I saw ‘D-Rod’ got cleared from USADA,” Jousset told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at UFC Fight Night 233. “I like his style. I feel he’s a very good fighter. He seems to be a good guy, as well. I don’t know the guy personally, but I would love to test my skills against this guy potentially. I know he’s much higher than me in the rankings, but who knows. If the UFC is interested in this fight, let’s do it.”

Jousset, 30, said he knows if he’s going to beat someone the caliber of Rodriguez (17-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC), he needs to shore up the holes in his game. He thinks he made some mistakes against Kenan, but is confident they can be rectified.

“I thought I would be able to capitalize a bit more,” Jousset said. “I was not very happy with some technical stuff that I did, but it is what it is. A win is a win, and that’s the main thing.”

Jousset said his ideal timeframe to get back in the octagon is the first quarter of 2024. He wants to take the rare opportunity to spend the Christmas holiday with his family, and once that’s done, he intends to get right back to the grind.

“I’ll see with my coaches what they think, but I want to fight again soon,” Jousset said. “I’m going home for Christmas, so I’m looking forward to that because I haven’t spent Christmas at home in many years. I look forward to seeing my family and my friends. Take a couple weeks off, then we’ll see. Hopefully, fight again in March.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.