NORFOLK, Va. – Back in June, Raphael Assuncao vowed to keep campaigning for a title shot. Two fights – and two wins – later, he’s making good on his promise.

On Saturday at UFC Fight Night 120, Assuncao (26-5 MMA, 10-2 UFC) beat up-and-comer Matthew Lopez (10-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) to earn a third straight win. Not only that – for what was his first knockout win since 2012, the Brazilian bantamweight also took home a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus.

It certainly wasn’t a bad day at the office for Assuncao. But as he’d already made clear while still up in the octagon, he’s (yet again) hoping to gain something else from his most recent win: a title shot.

Allow him to elaborate.

“If you look at everybody I’ve beaten, everything I’ve done in the octagon – if you look at me and (UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw’s) history, why not, you know?” Assuncao told MMAjunkie after the FS1-televised main-card bout, which took place at Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Va. “I think I deserve it. My only loss in bantamweight was (to) T.J. I lost to him in 2015. I turned around/ I won all my fights against top level guys, against up-and-comers, you name it.

“And here I am again. So we’ve got to do this trilogy.”

Assuncao does have point in that he and Dillashaw, who just recently reclaimed the 135-pound crown with a UFC 217 knockout of Cody Garbrandt, have a score to settle. The first time they met, in 2013, Assuncao walked away with a split call from a tight “Fight of the Night” affair. Then, at last year’s UFC 200 event, Assuncao returned from a long layoff to lose a clear unanimous decision.

Assuncao has since snagged three consecutive wins. Before the knockout of Lopez, Assuncao put an end to ex-WSOF-champ Marlon Moraes’ 13-fight streak and added a second straight loss to contender Aljamain Sterling’s record. Both wins came via split decision.

Still, there are roadblocks to Assuncao’s title path. After his win over Garbrandt, Dillashaw made it clear that he’d like to finally make that bout with flyweight kingpin Demetrious Johnson happen. Not to mention former 135-pound champ Dominick Cruz and contender Jimmie Rivera, who were supposed to meet each other in what had the makings of a title-eliminator bout before Cruz had to pull out.

Assuncao is currently No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA bantamweight rankings. Garbrandt and Cruz are immediately below Dillashaw, as No. 2 and No. 3 respectively, while Rivera appears just below Assuncao at No. 5.

Even if it doesn’t happen now, though, Assuncao believes his long-awaited attempt to claim gold is only a matter of time.

“Look – I’m not the type of fighter who’ll get up there and do backflips and fancy stuff,” Assuncao said. “But I’m very consistent. I show up, I make weight, and I do my job. I don’t talk. I don’t do anything. I have fun. I treat people well.

“I’m a martial artist. And a title shot will come.”

To hear from Assuncao, check out the video above.

And for complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 120, check out the UFC Events section of the site.