Stephen Loman envisioned a triumphant return to competition after three years away.
Instead, he found something else.
The former BRAVE CF bantamweight world champion conceded a unanimous decision to Lasha Abramishvili in the co-main event of BRAVE CF 108 at Pula Arena in Croatia on Sept. 5.
All three judges scored the fight 30-27 for the Georgian, who entered the three-round contest as the promotion's No. 1-ranked bantamweight.
To compound his misery, Loman also surrendered 15% of his purse after weighing 300 grams above the 61.7 kg limit for non-title bantamweight bouts.
The numbers paint a difficult picture, but Loman sees a different one.
"I may not have gotten the result I wanted, but I'm still positive. I believe something good will come from this experience," Loman told ESPN.
It takes some effort to find the positive after a unanimous decision loss, especially when a fighter returns from a three-year layoff and immediately faces one of the most active contenders in his division.
However, Loman found it inside the cage.
'The Sniper' opened with purpose, firing pendulum kicks and sharp left straights while repeatedly attacking Abramishvili's lead leg. The Georgian eventually settled into his range and delivered the biggest moment of the opening round when he caught Loman with a left hook that briefly dropped the 31-year-old Ifugao native.
Loman recovered quickly and finished the round on his feet.
The Filipino hard-hitter changed his approach in the second, blending striking with his underrated grappling. He secured a takedown and briefly controlled Abramishvili before the Georgian worked his way back up.
The encounter then developed into a tactical battle on the feet. Abramishvili landed a heavy head kick, while Loman maintained pressure through combinations and constant forward movement.
Knowing he needed to make something happen in the final five minutes, Loman pushed for takedowns. Unfortunately, Abramishvili shut them down.
The Georgian also switched to his natural southpaw stance, creating new angles for offense. He connected with a flying knee and his left straight, forcing Loman to deal with another layer of adversity.
To Abramishvili's dismay, Loman kept coming. He pressed forward and searched for openings until the final horn, refusing to let the long layoff dictate his performance.
For Loman, that persistence provided its own measure of success.
"At least, I saw aspects of my game that showed me I can still compete with the best fighters in the world," he said. "What I went through was not easy. I had not fought for three years, yet my fight with Lasha was still competitive.
"For me, that is a good takeaway."
That three-year absence inevitably raises the question of what Loman might have accomplished with more opportunities.
Two of those years came during his stint with ONE Championship, where prolonged inactivity interrupted his momentum and took valuable time from his prime. The circumstances surrounding that period remain a source of frustration for many who followed his career.
Loman, however, chooses to look ahead instead of revisiting what might have happened.
"For me, that is all in the past. What matters is that I move forward. I'm happy that I was able to fight again. I realized and learned a lot from this fight," he said.
"More importantly, I found out that I can still compete with one of the best fighters in the world."
BRAVE CF president Mohammed Shahid also saw the qualities that once made Loman a world champion.
"It still feels surreal to see him back in BRAVE CF after all these years. To fight one of the best contenders in the division like that is mind-blowing," Shahid said.
"But that's the fight game. Someone wins, and someone loses. What we saw from Stephen last weekend was the same quality we saw when he first fought for us in 2016 and eventually became champion. That is the quality he has as a fighter."
Shahid hopes to see more of Loman inside the BRAVE CF cage and reiterates the promotion's commitment to giving him opportunities moving forward.
"That was the commitment we promised him when he came back to BRAVE CF. We want to make sure he has the same opportunities that were afforded to him before, and we remain committed to that," the head honcho assured.
Loman now knows exactly what he wants next. After waiting three years to compete again, he has no interest in another long pause.
"The sooner, the better," he said.
