Once the biggest spotlight of his career had been switched off, Paul Craig sat and stewed in the darkness.
He had fulfilled his dream of becoming the first Scottish fighter to main event a UFC card. His face was on the poster. His name was top of the bill.
And he lost.
While Brendan Allen celebrated submitting the Jui-Jitsu black belt, Craig wondered if it was time to leave this sport of blustering brutality and find something new.
It was a fleeting moment of fallibility. Now 36, his purpose has never been clearer.
“I just had this thing, is fighting at 35 for me?,” the Airdrie native tells BBC Scotland.
“The answer after that fight was 100% yes. We had a bit of a bump in the road.
“It comes down to loving this job. I’ve done many jobs, this is the only one I’ve never been sacked from.
“This is the only job I’ve woke up on a Monday morning and been pleased to get punched in the face.”