John Makdessi is making the best of a bad situation – and even making it an educational one.

Makdessi (13-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC), a veteran UFC lightweight, is on the mend after filling in as a late replacement and suffering a broken jaw in a loss to Donald Cerrone (28-6 MMA, 15-3 UFC) this past month at UFC 187.

The pay-per-view fight was stopped late in the second round when Cerrone connected on a head kick and broke his opponent’s jaw. Here’s a look at the crushing blow (via Vine), which forced an immediate tap from Makdessi, who was fighting for the second time in 28 days:

https://vine.co/v/eqPJhlwg77m

Makdessi had successful surgery two days after the Las Vegas event. This week, he posted some videos to show his progress and what it’s like dealing with a jaw that’s wired shut as it heals (via Twitter):

He’s also had to modify his eating habits (via <a href=" Prior to the loss to Cerrone, against whom Makdessi was a heavy underdog, the 30-year-old Canadian was on a 4-1 run that included knockout victories over Shane Campbell and Renee Forte. He hasn't given a timetable for his next fight, but he recently returned to training at Tristar Gym (via <a href=" For more on UFC 187, check out the UFC Events section of the site.