UFC Fight Night 38's Rony Jason on his recent obliteration of a backstage wall

Soon after Jeremy Stephens knocked out Rony Jason in late 2013 at UFC Fight Night 32, the Brazilian regained consciousness, got to his feet, left the cage and promptly beat the living hell out of a backstage wall.

Admittedly, it wasn’t his finest moment.

As if the embarrassment of the first-round loss wasn’t bad enough, Jason was taken to a hospital after slicing open his arm while punching it through the wall. The Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA) then suspended him 30 days for “anti-sportsmanship conduct,” an embarrassing slap on the wrist since he already had a 180-day medical suspension.

Although UFC President Dana White didn’t chastise the fighter after the event (“After a devastating loss like that, you do stupid stuff sometimes,” he said), Jason’s backstage blowup – forever immortalized in a White video blog – was the talk of the sport.

“It was my first time to suffer a loss like that,” he told MMAjunkie. “I felt emasculated. Plus Brazilian fans easily count you out, unlike fans in America who are more loyal. I felt great before that fight, and I expected it to launch me into the top 15 or even top 10.”

Instead, Jason (13-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) suffered a high-profile and crushing defeat on MMA’s biggest stage. He looks to rebound on Sunday when he meets fellow featherweight Steven Siler (23-11 MMA, 5-2 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 38. Their main-card bout airs on FOX Sports 1 from Ginasio Nelio Dias in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.

The 29-year-old Brazilian, who won the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil,” doesn’t expect a similar experience this time around.

“I dreamed I would retire undefeated from the UFC, but that didn’t happen,” Jason said. “And my unsportsmanlike conduct, elbowing through that door backstage, it was a lapse of judgement on my part.

“I was upset because I come from a small town, Quixada, state of Ceara. When I fight, the entire town stops to watch me. And I knew that I made them all very sad. Those feelings overwhelmed me, and I think that’s why I did what I did. It was an isolated act, and it won’t happen again.”

However, even with a dominant performance on Sunday, he knows some fight fans will never let him live down his outburst.

“People who follow me understand that’s how Rony is,” he said. “That’s the Rony that doesn’t enjoy losing, who was unhappy for not having done a good job. That’s how I am. I usually train with some of the best talent in the world. I give my all. I struggle to make weight. I struggle to find endorsements. I have two children. I have my own expenses. I help my family out. So that’s the Rony who doesn’t want to lose.

“I want to be world champion. I will be world champion. When I lost, I knew I slipped several steps back. And Brazilian fans are cruel when you are down. I knew I’d hear about it. I still hear about it.”

Prior to the setback, Jason was on an eight-fight winning streak (not counting his successful “TUF” run). He said sheer aggression carried him to many of those victories, seven of which came via stoppage (and six in the first round). Against, Siler, a slick ground specialist, Jason thinks he’ll be able to revert to his old self.

“It think I learned many good things from my loss,” he said. “I was becoming very passive. People who have followed my career for some time know how aggressive I can be. That’s why most of my victories came in the first round. It’s hard to change things when you’re winning. I was undefeated for almost five years, so I was used to winning.

“Chatting with someone, eating popcorn or watching a movie – that’s the same (way I was) fighting Jeremy Stephens. I was very relaxed, too relaxed. That’s a sin I will no longer commit.”

As for a prediction against Siler, who suffered a recent setback of his own (to fast-rising contender Dennis Bermudez), Jason thinks this is is his fight to win. Technique and patience be damned.

“Now, you can expect me to always show up with a fire within me,” he said. “You won’t see me trying to patiently apply my technique. I’m going in to finish my opponents before the final bell.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 38, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.