Luke Fernandez anxious to log cage time en route to pro debut, but also wants to 'keep the face clean'

Undefeated light heavyweight prospect Luke Fernandez has his eyes firmly set on a pro debut in the very near future. But before he commits to the move, he's looking for the blessing of Dante Rivera.

Will that come if Fernandez claims the CFFC NextGen title on Saturday night? Fernandez admits he's really not sure.

"I kind of feel this is just the next obstacle in front of us," Fernandez said. "We're going to approach this first and then go from there and just not rush anything. If it happens that after this fight is the time for me to go pro, then I guess I'll roll with that, and then that'll be the gameplan, but it's not decided beforehand. Like, I'm not going into this knowing that my next fight, I'm going to go pro or anything like that. It's really just roll with the punches and try to soak up as much knowledge and experience as you can to get to a point where everyone's confident that we can move forward."

It's an approach that's worked for Fernandez from his very first day in the sport. A collegiate wrestler who also grew up boxing with his dad, Fernandez was a fan of MMA, but he never considered actually pursuing a career in it, though he was kind of curious about potentially training a bit.

While he was working as a roofer, Fernandez's boss reached out to make a connection, and everything changed.

"My boss was friends of friends with my coach, Dante Rivera," Fernandez said. "I think they were at a mutual gathering, and it got brought up, and he just ended up saying, 'One of my guys is interested in starting MMA and stuff like that, getting into training,' then that night, they FaceTimed me.

"Dante was on the phone on FaceTime and just asked, 'I heard you want to train.' I said, 'Yeah, I would love to.' He said, 'I'll see you Monday,' and I came on Monday, and from then on out, I was there every day."

Things have worked out in Fernandez's favor so far. In his first year in CFFC's NextGen division, he's built a perfect 3-0 record, including a pair of first-round submission wins. At Saturday's CFFC 102, which takes place at Philadelphia's 2300 Arena, Fernandez challenges Cody Lewis for the vacant light heavyweight title.

Fernandez said his team did a little scouting to prep but remained more focused on their own objectives.

"I feel like everyone does the general thing where they look him up, see what the record is and past fights, if there's any available stuff like that, check him out," Fernandez said. "I definitely don't dwell on that. Neither does my coach. We kind of know what we're up against, and Dante just fine tunes my skills and stuff like that. We just focus on our gameplan every time to get the job done."

NextGen titles are usually a good indicator of professional potential, but Fernandez insists he and his team aren't considering that as the benchmark. Instead, they'll assess how things play out on Saturday night, make a decision and then stick to that plan.

After all, it's what they've done from the start – and besides, Fernandez doesn't want to upset his mom.

"I'm definitely never looking to make a fight last as long as possible, but I am definitely confident with my ability to go three rounds, three minutes," Fernandez said. "We train for longer than that. We train as if we're already going pro. We do five-minute rounds multiple times a week, so I'm not worried about going the distance. But I mean, it's always nice to try to get out early and unscathed.

"Mom always says, 'Keep the face clean,' but I'm ready. I'm ready to go to war. My whole team is on the same page. We're preparing for war, and whatever comes with that, we're ready."