Yohan Lainesse believes experience, not flash, will fuel him to title win at CFFC 98
Undefeated welterweight Yohan Lainesse is perhaps best known to MMA fans for his viral flying-knee knockout of Lirim Rufati – a stunning, 14-second finish that made highlight reels around the globe.
But Lainesse believes he actually gained more in his most recent outing, a unanimous decision win over a previously undefeated Troy Green in March.
"I'm very satisfied about this performance because I know I'm not the kind of guy that has a lot of experience in the cage," Lainesse said. "So, of course, the flying knee was a very good highlight, and I'm very happy about that, but I think it's time for me in my young career to have a lot of experience in the cage. Three five-minute rounds against an undefeated opponent like Troy Green was a very, very good experience for my career."
While the result was somewhat mundane when compared to some of Lainesse's explosive finishes, "White Lion" says spending 15 minutes in the cage made him a more dangerous opponent.
"I'm a finisher – like four wins by knockout in the first round in my first six fights," Lainesse said. "After my first-round win against Connor Dixon in August, I did the flying knee in 14 seconds, so in one year-and-a-half, I had fought less than a round. Then I had three rounds with Troy Green, so the best thing for me is to get time in the cage to increase my experience and my level of maturity."
The path has paid off for Canada's Lainesse, who is a perfect 3-0 under the Cage Fury Fighting Championships banner, and his next fight will be for the promotion's welterweight title.
Lainesse (6-0) headlines CFFC 98 against newly crowned champion Evan Cutts (12-4), who seeks the first defense of his belt. The card streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS Saturday from Philadelphia's 2300 Arena as part of a two-night run for the promotion at the venue that includes Friday's debut of FURY Professional Grappling.
Cutts claimed the belt in April with a hard-fought split-decision win over then-champion Bassil Hafez in one of the most grueling title fights in CFFC history. Lainesse said he was impressed by Cutts' durability but also believes Hafez made a critical error in his strategy for the contest.
"I think Bassil lost a lot of energy trying to finish Evan Cutts in the first round, and I think that played against him in the second, third, fourth and fifth rounds," Lainesse said. "I think Evan is a very tough opponent. He's a guy who will never give up. He's never been finished in 16 fights. It was a very hard fight, and he showed a lot of endurance in this fight, but I see a lot of things that I can put in my game against Evan Cutts, and I'm going to capitalize on that."
With a victory, a big-show opportunity would certainly be a very real possibility. Owning both an undefeated record and a CFFC title can be very alluring to the sport's biggest promotions. The 28-year-old Canadian believes he would be deserving, as well.
"I know in my mind, if I get past Evan Cutts, a guy with 10 years of experience, I'm going to be ready for the big show," Lainesse said. "I'm the kind of guy who puts a lot of highlights in my performances, but now I also have two fights of three five-minute rounds, and that's good experience for me.
"Against Evan, I'm not going to try to finish this fight in the first round. I'm going to take my time, be patient, and I'm going to do my best to bring the belt to Canada, for sure."
