UFC lightweight Drew Dober issued a classy statement after his submission loss to Dagestan’s Islam Makhachev.

Dober and Makhachev, two talented lightweight contenders, met on the main card of Saturday’s UFC 259 card in Las Vegas. Despite his best efforts, Dober was repeatedly taken down and ultimately submitted by the Dagestani grappler in round three.

Not long after that tough loss, Dober took to Instagram to issue a quick but classy statement. See what he had to say below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMGsh9hpJdo/

“Never let a win go to your head, or a loss get to your heart,” Dober wrote. “I gave it my all and I’m not disappointed in my efforts. I got out grappled by the best in the world and I will take this failure to become a better fighter and a man.

“All respect to @islam_makhachev, his team, and all of the fans,” Dober continued. “I truly enjoyed this experience and I cannot wait to do it again. Back to the gym to fix those mistakes.”

Prior to his loss to Makhachev, Drew Dober was on an impressive, three-fight win-streak composed of stoppage wins over Alexander Hernandez, Nasrat Haqparast, and Polo Reyes. Those wins were preceded by a submission loss to Beneil Dariush. Other highlights of Dober’s impressive record include wins over Frank Camacho, Josh Burkman, Scott Holtzman and Jamie Varner.

Islam Makhachev, on the other hand, is now on a seven-fight winning streak, Highlights of that streak include wins over Davi Ramos, Arman Tsarukyan, Kajan Johnson, and Gleison Tibau. A long-time training partner of the unbeaten Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev is widely considered a future champion. His win over Dober, a tough out for any fighter, only served to cement those perceptions.

What do you think is next for Drew Dober after his UFC 259 loss to Islam Makhachev? Let us know who you think he should fight next in the comments.