VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Justin Gaethje is slowly morphing his style to become less reckless and more technical, but he hopes opponent’s don’t take notice.

Gaethje (20-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) began his career on an 18-fight winning streak before he ran into back-to-back losses that required him to reevaluate. He’s produced consecutive first-round knockout wins since, which set him up for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 16 headliner with Donald Cerrone (36-12 MMA, 23-9 UFC).

Although he still fearlessly throws bombs inside the octagon, Gaethje has refined his approach with the help of coach Trevor Wittman, and he likes the results.

“My output has dropped about 85 percent, if you look at it, and my coach told me forever, ‘Just try a little bit less and you will find more success,’” Gaethje told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at UFC on ESPN+ 16 media day. “It’s like golf. The harder you try, the worse you are to do it. It doesn’t make sense to me because I come from wrestling, where the harder you work, the better you did. But once I lost two times in a row, I was able to go back to the drawing board and take the criticism and try to make the adjustments, and luckily I have the 2018 ‘Coach of the Year,’ the ‘Coach of the Century.’ I’m coachable. Wrestlers are coachable, so I listen to everything he says.”

In the lead-up to UFC on ESPN+ 16, which takes place at Rogers Arena, Cerrone has labeled Gaethje as a Homer Simpson-like character. Gaethje intends to make his opponent pay for that comment, but he doesn’t mind that perception.

“I want that to stick around as long as possible,” Gaethje said. “I want these guys to think they’re fighting a fool and a dummy. My timing is different. They will never be able to replicate the heart rate they get when they fight me.”

If Gaethje wins at UFC on ESPN+ 16, he has vocalized his desire to challenge for the UFC lightweight title. He said the winner of the potential Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson bout should be his next opponent, and with that he could accomplish his championship dream.

Gaethje’s idea of creating a legacy is largely tied to claiming that piece of gold, but he said he wants his impact to be much greater than that, too.

“I’m here to create a legacy, and ‘Cowboy’ is the right man for that right now,” Gaethje said. “He’s No. 4 in the world right now. That’s not a mistake. He’s fought the most, he’s finished the most, he’s got the most bonuses. Of course that’s what I’m here for.”

“I want to win a world title; that’s what brings you notoriety as the best in the world,” Gaethje added. “I’m going to leave and quit this when I don’t believe I can be the best in the world and I don’t have a chance. That’s foremost what’s going to create my legacy, but it’s also how I treat people, the way the people from the UFC see me, the way the fans see me, the way I get to interact with people. Anytime you ask me in my career, the answer will be different, but it will always surround positivity.”