After Contender Series stumble, Aaron Jeffery ready for CFFC title and UFC call

Canadian middleweight Aaron Jeffery knows that most MMA fans' opinions of him were likely developed during a very disappointing appearance on Dana White's Contender Series.

Tune in to CFFC 93 on Friday night, and he promises you won't be seeing more of the same.

"I hope they're going to see a lot different," Jeffery said. "I hope they're not going to see me getting kneed in the face and then choked out. That's certainly not my gameplan for this one. When a fight goes like that, that's all I can say, that it's going to go the opposite direction of that one."

Jeffery fought current UFC middleweight Brendan Allen at DWCS 20 in July 2019, where he suffered a disappointing submission loss that snapped a four-fight winning streak and dashed his hopes of making it into the UFC. It was a frustrating result for Jeffery, who said he felt comfortable right up until it all went wrong.

"He put me away in the first round, so it's not a good look, obviously," Jeffery said. "Until that point, I felt good in there. I felt comfortable. I didn't really feel outclassed, so I feel like I deserve to be in there with UFC guys."

Since the setback, Jeffery has returned to his winning ways, notching three consecutive victories to bring him to an impressive 7-1 in his past eight total appearances. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic means he hasn't fought quite as frequently as he might have liked as of late, but he's satisfied with the results he has earned.

"It's been all wins since Contender Series, which is great, but it still feels so up and down," Jeffery said. "Canceled bouts, and that's like the worst thing for a fighter, and then all this COVID stuff, and that kind of put me on the shelf for a little bit, too. Up and down, but at least I'm getting the wins along the way."

On Friday, Jeffery (9-2) competes in the main event of CFFC 93, where he takes on reigning middleweight champion Collin Huckbody (9-2) at 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. The night's main card streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS.

Huckbody also competed previously on Dana White's Contender Series, actually earning a contract offer he ultimately declined in favor of some more seasoning on the regional stage. Jeffery said there was discussion that he would face Huckbody back in December, when he claimed the vacant CFFC title over Aaron Phillips, but that the bout just didn't materialize.

Still, Jeffery said he watched the fight and, channeling his inner Georges St-Pierre, admits he wasn't all that impressed with Huckbody's performance.

"I watched his fight to see what he was all about, so that was kind of the first time that he came on to my radar," Jeffery said. "I don't like to talk sh-t too much, but I was not overly impressed."

So now Jeffery will get his chance for a bit of redemption on Friday. If you weren't all that amazed by his showing on the Contender Series, he thinks you should give him a second look this time around.

"I think I've evolved a lot since then," Jeffery said. "I'm a much better fighter. Three more fights, three finishes, so I'm just a lot better where I am now."

And while his first crack at a UFC contract didn't go his way, the 28-year-old Jeffery hopes claiming a CFFC title will get him a call to the big show.

"People have been saying I deserve to be there for a long time," Jeffery said. "You can see those Instagram memories and stuff that pop up on your feed, and then seeing stuff like a year ago, over a year ago, all the articles that are about fighters that only need one more win, fighters that are going to get the call after this fight.

"I hope I get the call. It feels like I've done enough."