Sam Stout: 'I don't want to start looking at my career like it's over'

Two vicious knockout losses in a row has Sam Stout reevaluating his strategy heading into UFC Fight Night 74 on Sunday night.

Once known for his iron chin, the 31-year-old Canadian no longer plans on recklessly wading through danger, and is settling on a safer approach when he takes on Frankie Perez in Saskatoon.

"I've had some time to wrap my brain around it a little more and its not like I was out cold; I got clipped and I watched the fight after and I got caught right on the button," Stout told MMAjunkie.com. "I don’t think I have a glass jaw now or anything like that. The last two fights I just got caught with some really heavy punches.

"It just opened my eyes to the fact that I can’t go out and be as reckless anymore. I've got to move my head more and take less punishment. I've got to move my feet more. I can't go out there and rely on my chin the way I used to when I was a kid. I don't think it's going to be a factor in that fight."

A mainstay of the UFC's lightweight division for almost a decade, the grizzled Stout is 2-3 since 2013. He's hoping to revamp his career against Perez, a 26-year-old with essentially no big fight experience.

"I don't want to start looking at my career like it's over and start counting stuff like that," Stout said. "I'm still going and hopefully I'll get another 'Fight of the Night' on this one. I don't want to start looking back on my career because that means it's over. I want to keep moving forward.

"I thought this was a good fight. It's a guy who’s got a lot less experience who is coming off a loss as well. It's a good fight for me to get my momentum back and get back on the winning track."