While the change is dramatic and pronounced, it pales in comparison to the different way Tokkos heads into this weekend’s clash with Erslan as for the first time in his brief UFC tenure, he’s entering off a victory.

The 35-year-old landed on the wrong side of the results in his first two outings, losing to light heavyweight prospects Oumar Sy and Navajo Stirling. But last summer, he rolled into Nashville and dominated his matchup with Junior Tafa, taking the Australian powerhouse to the ground routinely before finally submitting him late in the second round.

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“It was a great feeling,” he said. “It was a big relief because you always have a bit of imposter syndrome when you get to the UFC, so it’s like you can get rid of it after you get that first ‘dub.’ Some guys get it in their debut, but I only fought tough guys, so I kept that in mind… When I got the Junior Tafa matchup, I said, ‘Okay, this is a great matchup. I’m gonna go out there and win with confidence.’ Even coming from those two losses, they were tough opponents, so I kept that awareness about it, and it was easier to go into that one with confidence.”