Christien Savoie hopes wild 2020 ends with CFFC title, UFC invite
Christien Savoie has never competed outside of his native Canada, so the opportunity to travel to New Zealand to train with the vaunted City Kickboxing crew was quite an exciting adventure for the undefeated welterweight prospect.
Unfortunately for Savoie, he made the trip just before the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic changed the world.
"I was over there for about a week-and-a-half, and everything exploded," Savoie said. "Literally, like I flew a week before this whole thing really blew up, and then it was a week later that our prime minister was like, 'Hey, everybody, get home or you're going to die' kind of thing. So yeah, to say the least, it's been a crazy year."
Savoie admits it was disappointing to journey that far and not be able to fully reap the benefits of training at the famed gym but insists he'll go back at some point. In the meantime, he's stayed focused throughout a wild 2020 by working harder than ever in the Maritime province of New Brunswick.
"Kind of how I work is go to several small gyms," Savoie said. "It has its pros and its cons, being in a small town. The cons are I don't have as many high-level professionals like myself in other gyms that I travel to. But the advantages are all the training sessions are focused around me and what I want to work on, so yeah, I make it work, and I have great guys in every discipline here."
On Thursday, Savoie (8-0) will register that first fight outside of Canada, traveling to Philadelphia's 2300 Arena to compete in the main event of CFFC 89. The vacant Cage Fury Fighting Championships welterweight title will be on the line when he meets Bassil Hafez (5-2-1) in a bout that streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS.
"I'm pumped," Savoie said. "It's the first time that I fight outside of my area, but it just feels right. I'm just excited to have a fight. I've been just chomping to get a fight these last couple months, so I'm just really happy to be in this position right now."
Savoie admits he didn't know much about his opponent when he signed on to take the fight but admits he's been impressed with what he's seen thus far.
"That's nothing against him – I'm sure he didn't know my name either," Savoie said. "But I did watch some of his fights, and he's a good fighter. I've got nothing to critique. He's got really strong jiu-jitsu. He seems like a good athlete. He's a scrapper. He's a good fighter."
But Savoie believes he's prepared for the challenge. Armed with a battery of traditional techniques from his time spent in taekwondo and bolstered by another 14 years of training in MMA – a passion fueled after watching Matt Hughes' infamous slam knockout of Carlos Newton – Savoie is anxious to prove he belongs on the sport's biggest stage.
"I'm hoping, 9-0 after this fight, it's tough to deny me, man," Savoie said. "I've been the guy. I've just been chomping to fight anybody and everybody these last couple months, as long as it's in my division. I'm happy that Bassil took the fight, and I think if I win this fight, it's tough to deny me, especially if I win impressively.
"I never go in there and think, 'Oh, I'm just going to walk through this guy,' because anything can happen. That's the fight game. I always prepare myself for a war. I'm going into his hometown. I'm sure he's looking to impress. He's got his friends and family there. I'm sure he's been working towards this belt for a long time, so I'm expecting a very hungry, very powerful athlete, but he's going to hit a wall when he faces me. That's my plan."
It hasn't been a direct path to this moment, but Savoie isn't one to focus on negatives. This year hasn't worked out as expected for anyone in the world, really, but Savoie is excited to capitalize on the hand he's been dealt.
"I kind of have the mindset that everything happens for a reason," Savoie said. "I feel like I'm exactly where I should be. So I'm really happy where I'm at, and anything that didn't work out to my favor, I think it happened for a reason, and that's why I'm in the situation that I'm in right now."
CFFC 89 OFFICIAL FIGHT CARD
Bassil Hafez (5-2-1) vs. Christien Savoie (8-0)
Vacant CFFC Welterweight Title Fight
Sitik Muduev (8-2) vs. Frankie Buenafuente (10-4)
Joshua Smith (8-5) vs. Charalampos Grigoriou (3-1)
Mike Gonzalez (3-2) vs. Vilson Ndregjoni (2-1)
Jerome Macalino (1-0) vs. Tommy Majeski (1-0)