Two more punches. Just two more punches.
That's how close Jimmy Crute was to beating veteran light heavyweight Misha Cirkunov in Vancouver last September.
After getting taken down early on in the first round, Crute escaped, took Cirkunov down and started hammering the Canadian veteran with some heavy ground and pound.
The beating got so bad with two minutes left in the round that referee Yves Lavigne told the 23-year-old Crute that just another few strikes would end the bout.
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Instead, Cirkunov found a way out of danger, swept Crute and locked in a Peruvian necktie.
It happened fast - real fast - but Crute isn't one to sulk about the loss.
Instead, he's learning from the experience.
"It burns, but f**k, what can you do? We all lose in this sport, we all win - well some of us win - it's just part of the sport," Crute told Sporting News.
"It taught me some valuable lessons, but I'm not going to cry about it. I lost an MMA fight, I didn't lose a loved one or something like that.
"The ref said two more punches and he would have lost and I would've had a fifty grand bonus. Two more punches and it would've been a TKO, but what can you do?
"I got too excited and learned a valuable lesson I'll take for the rest of my career."
It was the first time Crute had tasted defeat in 11 professional fights, including three in the UFC, and another on Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series.
He's back in action against Poland's Michał Oleksiejczuk at UFC Auckland this Sunday, and says one of his main goals for 2020 is to spend more time in the Octagon.
"I want to be smart, but I want to get in there and get experience."
"I haven't really had that much cage time. I've had 11 fights, but eight of them have ended in the first round and seven have ended in the first couple of minutes.
"So I haven't had much time in the cage, so I want to get in there and get as much experience as I can.
"I proved in my last fight that I'm lacking in experience, so I just want to get in there and get as much as I can."
A four-fight UFC veteran, Oleksiejczuk is also looking to rebound from a submission defeat after losing to Ovince Saint-Preux last September.
It makes for an intriguing match-up.
"He's a tough, gritty southpaw and he's got some good boxing," Crute said.
"I think he can freeze a lot of guys, but everyone knows I don't freeze under that sort of pressure.
"Everyone that's tried to meet me in the middle and swing has come off second best.
"I don't think he knows what he's in for. He sees holes in my game - and there are a lot of holes in my game - but people think they'll exploit them, but they don't realise what else is behind it.
"He'll see and he'll get bashed."