AUSTIN, Texas – Marcin Tybura is coming off a loss into his meeting with Derrick Lewis on Sunday, but he’s not coming in empty-handed.

Tybura faced the biggest challenge of his blooming career in November at UFC Fight Night 121, where he met Fabricio Werdum. Not only did Tybura, then riding a three-fight winning streak, get a stab at a top contender and former UFC heavyweight champion, but he got to do it in a headlining spot.

Tybura, the underdog, came up short, but he still managed to take Werdum to a decision after five rounds. And he got to see that his still-developing skill set has room among the division’s top talent.

“I was a little bit disappointed after the fight for a few days because I was expecting to win,” Tybura told MMAjunkie during a media day ahead of Sunday’s UFC Fight Night 126 event, which airs on FS1 from Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. “But that (brought) me a big experience – five rounds with the former champion, the guy who knew how to get the belt and he’s (at the) top of this division. Five rounds, for the first time in my life. That was a big experience, for sure.”

There’s certainly knowledge to be gained from hanging with a more experienced foe for 25 minutes, but for Tybura, it also came with extras. If a previous win over Andrei Arlovski made him a blip on the heavyweight radar, a headliner was a full arrival.

While his card placement has been slightly downgraded this time – Tybura (16-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and Lewis (18-5-1 MMA, 9-3 UFC) meet in UFC Fight Night 126’s co-main event – he also gets to meet a big fan-favorite in Lewis, the No. 13 fighter in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings.

Tybura, who’s an honorable mention and just outside the top 15, knows he’s not going to be the crowd favorite against Texas’ own Lewis . But, again, he has his eyes on another type of prize.

“That’s a big thing for me,” Tybura said. “(UFC Fight Night 121) was the first time I was in the main event. I was on the poster, so I want to keep doing that in the future. That’s the biggest goal, for me, to bring attention to me as well. I know Derrick is in his hometown. And he’s in his country, actually. So people will be cheering for him. But I’m here to build my name too.”

The booking is a rematch: Tybura and Lewis were supposed to fight in October 2016 in the Philippines, before the entire UFC Fight Night 97 card fell through. While Tybura wasn’t exactly losing sleep over the idea of meeting “The Black Beast,” he did keep an eye on him with the expectation that they were bound to meet sooner or later.

When the matchup was offered this time, it was interesting enough that Tybura, who’d originally been planning to return in either March or April, was willing to have a quicker turnaround. And the fact that this time it’s in Lewis’ turf this time is in no way a problem.

“I’ve been in this position before many times,” Tybura said. “I never fought in my hometown. So I have that kind of experience. I’m not worried about it. I have a few fans coming for the bout, so I hope they’ll be as loud as the rest.”

With all the bonuses that can come with this type of matchup, however, the main goal remains the same: to win. And, though visa issues forced him to have a shorter camp in the U.S., the Polish fighter said he remained in touch with his Jackson-Wink MMA trainers to work on strategic antidotes for Lewis’ most well-known weapons.

“I think the biggest danger are those swings, left and right hand, all above your head and everything,” Tybura said. “I’m pretty sure he’s a strong guy. Because he’s big, he’s cutting weight to the heavyweight limit. There are a few dangers I can see. We worked with the coaches on it. And I think we have a good game plan for it.”

To hear from Tybura, check out the video above.

And for more on UFC Fight Night 126, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.