After frustrating Contender Series bid, Dustin Joynson just looking to create memories at CFFC 87

Dustin Joynson doesn't exactly enjoy speaking about his experience on Dana White's Contender Series.

It was August 2019, and the undefeated Canadian heavyweight was hoping to earn himself a UFC deal. Unfortunately, his opponent – Australia's Ben Sosoli – accidentally gouged Joynson's left eye in a first-round exchange, and the bout was declared a no contest.

"I was pretty heartbroken, mostly just because that's it, right?" Joynson recalled. "If I had signed with the UFC, and say that happened, I wouldn't have cared. But the fact that everyone's judging me on this one fight right now, I hate that. Being judged on one fight, it's like, 'All right, don't mess this up,' and of course something happened."

On the bright side, Joynson didn't suffer any long-term damage to his vision.

"I went to the hospital and got checked out, and it was cleared," Joynson said. "I couldn't open it for a few hours, but that was about it."

Unfortunately, though, Joynson's UFC dream would go unfulfilled. Perhaps adding a bit of insult to injury, Sosoli did get called to the promotion seven weeks later to take on Greg Hardy.

"I know they were kind of pushing for him to win anyways," Joynson said. "They liked him because he was on 'The Ultimate Fighter.' I don't know. I think they were trying to throw me under the bus towards him, and they thought I would be a pushover, either way.

"Whatever. It is what it is, I guess."

Joynson hasn't fought since that unfortunate incident.

"With COVID happening, there's nothing in Canada going on," Joynson said. "I tried to get a fight for last December, but I was in negotiations, and I don't know. I had an opponent lined up, and they offered me some money or whatever. I counter-offered it, and I didn't hear back from them. Next thing I know, he's fighting a different guy, so I guess that was a 'no' on the negotiations."

Joynson (5-0) finally does step back into the cage on Friday, when he makes his Cage Fury Fighting Championships debut against veteran heavyweight Carl Seumanutafa (12-11) in the co-main event of CFFC 87, which streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS from 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.

While Seumanutafa has been competing professionally since 2007, Joynson said he typically doesn't like to look too much into his opponents' skillsets before they meet.

"I was just happy to be offered anything, I guess," Joynson said. "I haven't really looked into him too much. I know my coaches have. I don't know, I get too into my own head if I look too much into fighters. A lot of guys I fight, I don't know much about their history.

"Just tell me what we need to work on. That's all I care about. That's basically what it comes down to. I kind of go in blind, but in doing that, their game doesn't get stuck too much into my head. It's just a blank slate, and I can just go in there and do my thing."

Joynson knows CFFC has become a top feeder league for the UFC and other big organizations, and he'd still like the chance to be called up to the international stage. But at 33, he says he's not going to put any undue pressure on himself. After all, as he learned on Dana White's Contender Series, things can certainly happen that he simply can't control.

"Part of it is just making memories, right?" Joynson asked. "As I get older, I'm in great shape, and I haven't taken many blows to the head, so I still feel like I can do this for a while. But I am getting older. I hate to say it. I don't feel like I'm slowing down, but I just want to create as many memories as I can.

"Even the Contenders Series, I didn't really want to do that show. I would have rather just signed with the UFC, but I had nothing else going on at that time, so they were like, 'Oh, do you want to do this show?' I'm like, 'Not really. I don't like the idea of just being judged on one fight,' but at the same time, it's memories."

Joynson wants to create something memorable at CFFC 87, as well. And after that, perhaps a little luck will be on his side this time around.

"It's something I can say that I did, so at the end of the day, that's kind of what most of these fights are going to be for me now, win or lose," Joynson said. "I just want to say that I did it. I went in there, and I fought, even if it wasn't the outcome I wanted.

"But yeah, ultimate goal is the UFC or another bigger promotion so I can feel like I solidified my life of training and it kind of meant something."