Darrion Caldwell is determined to make his next move count. And payback is the motivation.

After suffering the first loss of his professional career last month against Joe Taimanglo at Bellator 159 back in July, the promising bantamweight prospect is ready to set out on the comeback trail. Caldwell acknowledges where he slipped up, but is ready to prove what happened in Kansas was purely circumstantial.

Caldwell was dominating the matchup all the way up to the point where he wasn't, and believes a second go with Taimanglo would show he's shored up his game. Therefore, a rematch is the only fight Caldwell wants, and he's vocalizing his intentions.

"I dominated the fight but I was caught," Caldwell said. "I'm not making any excuses in that, but I deserve a rematch with him. I took the fight after he missed weight and he should take the rematch with me. I just had to right my wrongs and I believe I've done that. Joe needs to step up and fight me and take this fight as a professional. It's that simple."

While Taimanglo missing weight could have put the matchup in jeopardy, Caldwell ultimately decided to press forward with the tilt. In the aftermath of taking the first loss on his record, Caldwell isn't saying the extra weight held any sway on the outcome of the bout, but he does believe his decision to roll forward plays into why Taimanglo should grant him another fight.

"We are professionals, and making weight is just what we have to do," Caldwell said. "I didn't have a perfect camp. I had to overcome my fair share of adversity, but I was still professional when it came time to fight. When you miss weight in a title fight, the belt is no longer up for grabs. There's no way can you get that belt like that so there's no way this guy should be entitled to the fight I deserve.

"Even though he missed weight, I still felt like I owed that to Joe. He showed up to fight, and that's really all that matters to me. I let that slide and still pressed on with the fight and I feel like Joe needs to take a step back and realize we should run back again."

Bellator stole the MMA headlines last week by making the biggest free agent acquisition in MMA history by signing Rory MacDonald. As a fighter who has risen through the ranks of the promotion, Caldwell couldn't be happier with where the organization he calls home is sitting in the larger scheme of things.

Caldwell has always been proud to represent Bellator, and sees nothing but good things coming down the pipe in both his and the promotion's future.

"I'm all in with Bellator," Caldwell said. "I've put in the work and they've been great to me. I've been handling these guys they give me pretty easily, but this last guy was a little different. He caught up late in the fight, but I'm ready to get back on track. I'm one of the faces of this organization and there isn't anyone who wants to see Joe fight for the title. They want to see me fight [Eduardo] Dantas and that's just how it is.

"I've always been about them just as they've always been about me. That's rare, man. I've come up in this system and it's been a great experience. I'm definitely looking forward to the future. I'm still the best fighter on the planet at 135 pounds. Joe needs to step up and give me a rematch so I can go out there and prove it."