Though the night ended in the worst way possible for him, UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje saw plenty of positives to take from his most recent fight.
Gaethje is slated to co-headline this weekend's UFC 313 pay-per-view in a rematch against Rafael Fiziev, who's stepped up on late notice to replace the injured Dan Hooker.
For "The Highlight," Saturday's event will mark his first outing in 11 months, having not appeared since a crushing last-second knockout loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300 last April.
Much has been made about the impact of that setback leading up to Gaethje's return, and the man himself revealed during media day that he sat down and watched the full fight back for the first time just days out from UFC 313.
I just watched the Max fight today for the first time," he said during media day. "I actually think I fought really well. It was just he was so great that night. ... I just figured it was about time (to rewatch it). ... To be fair, I did stop it with 10 seconds left (laughs). I've seen that part plenty of times.
Gaethje went on to address his previous comments about returning to a more aggressive style in 2025. That, coupled with a "refined" skillset, will make for a dangerous combination in the eyes of the ex-interim champ.