PHOENIX -- Justin Gaethje is unapologetically entertaining, probably one of the most pound-for-pound exciting fighters in the sport, and so far his strategy seems to be working out. The 26-year-old defended his WSOF lightweight title with a scorching victory over Luis Palomino at WSOF 23, and similar to his first meeting with Palomino, the rematch provided another instant classic, just as Gaethje predicted.

"I feel like I'm on top of the world. I gotta be honest with you," Gaethje told MMAFighting.com post-fight. "I don't remember much of the fight, just like every fight I've been in.

"It's in the moment, and if I take the time to watch what's going on, my reactions are going to be a little late. I can't process all of that. It's all feeling and reaction. I've trained my whole life. Since I was four years old, I've trained to do this, and I'm ready. I'm as ready as anybody will ever be. You step in the cage with me, I don't care if you're No. 1 or No. 10 in the world, you will have a fight on your hands."

Six months after burning down Phoenix's Comerica Theatre with a thrilling ‘Fight of the Year' candidate, Gaethje and Palomino somehow topped themselves, standing toe-to-toe for the better part of two rounds until Gaethje landed the fight-ending right hook that he later called one of the cleanest shots of his entire career.

But the win took it's toll, as Palomino's first-round salvo nearly sent Gaethje home before the fight could even get started.

Gaethje is unquestionably one of the most talents lightweights outside of the UFC, however his reckless style has prompted some observers to question the long-term prospects of his career. For his part, Gaethje says he's been working on improving his defensive capabilities, but the non-stop forward pressure he prides himself on is here to stay.

"I feel like I got a lot better since the last fight," said Gaethje. "I tried to really use my footwork, I think I went in there with the mindset that I was going to do a lot more fakes. But I'm a fighter. I need to go in there press the pace. When I do that, things work, things feel good. So I've got to do that more often.

"I'm really trying to be more technical," Gaethje added. "But I feel like that's what got me into trouble probably in this fight. I'm guessing. Like I said, I don't know. I got a couple takedowns. But I mean, this is fighting. It takes one punch. So I'm going to go out there and I'm hunting for that one punch, just like I did tonight."

Gaethje is 15-0 and the undisputed ruler of the WSOF lightweight class, so it's understandable if he's hesitant to fix what isn't exactly broken. But now that his series with Palomino is in the books, he also isn't looking to sit around.

Gaethje hopes to fight again before the year is out, even if it means taking another on challenger while the rest of the division awaits the results of WSOF's upcoming Nov. 20 lightweight tournament.

"I still don't think any of them could beat Palomino. That's a tough dude right there," Gaethje said. "He's worked so hard for so long. But yeah, if any of those guys want it, I'm obviously right here. I don't get to pick and choose and I don't want to pick and choose. I want whoever thinks they're ready, whoever thinks they're capable.

"I want to get paid again, so let's bring it. Brian Foster says he's sending chills down my spine? I'll f**k him up if we fight. Plain and simple. I don't give a s**t (about the tournament). I'll fight him in December, right before Christmas."