Collin Lubberts wanted to be the next Kimbo Slice before the next Ronda Rousey intervened

Collin Lubberts started his MMA journey a little differently than most. In the beginning, he actually thought cagefighting was a silly pursuit. His plan was to throw hands on the street.

"I was like really into streetfighting," Lubberts said. "I wanted to be like a Kimbo Slice. I was getting in a lot of trouble with all my friends because we would try to get these neighborhood fights going on and stuff, and I had no direction at all. I would actually look at MMA videos and think it was stupid, and so I was just so backwards in my thinking when it came to actual mixed martial arts."

If Lubberts was doing his best to copy Kimbo Slice, it was a young lady perhaps following the footsteps of Ronda Rousey that changed all that.

"I walked into a gym one day when I was like 15, and I got my ass kicked by a girl who was just armbarring me left and right," Lubberts recalled. "Ever since that day, I was like, 'Yeah, this is probably what I need to be doing.'"

Lubberts quickly took to the training, launching an amateur kickboxing career at 17 before trying his hand at amateur MMA one year later. As the wins started to add up, he realized he was ready to start his professional run, and he sought the help of Florida's MMA Masters squad to assist him in that effort.

"I became the No. 1 amateur fighter in Florida in my weight class," Lubberts said. "I had all the belts, and it was just time to make a move, you know? So that's actually when I made the move to MMA Masters."

Lubberts has found similar success in the pro rankings, losing just one of his first seven pro appearances, and that result was a split decision to Ange Loosa, who was invited to Dana White's Contender Series after the result and is now on the UFC roster.

"I'm very happy with my progress, man," Lubberts said. "It's a blessing every day just to be here and be good at what I'm doing."

The 27-year-old's hard work has been rewarded with the biggest opportunity of his young career, a shot at the vacant CFFC welterweight title. Lubberts (6-1) faces the undefeated Raheam Forest (5-0) for the belt in the main event of Friday's CFFC 115 event, which streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS from Mississippi's Horseshoe Tunica Hotel & Casino.

While "Rambo" is perfect as a professional so far, Lubberts isn't overly impressed.

"I saw some tapes, and I'd actually heard about him before," Lubberts said. "He fought amateur around the time I was amateur, and I mean, to be completely honest with you, I'm not too impressed with him. He's very athletic. He has those attributes, but as far as a skilled fighter, I think he's getting better, but I think I'm just levels ahead of him."

Bold words, but not ones that Lubberts takes lightly. Training alongside some of the sport's biggest names at MMA Masters, Lubberts says he knows where he stands. Now he just needs to step out and show it on Friday night.

"I'm always going for a highlight, especially in this fight," Lubberts said. "I feel my skills are really going to show early in the fight. I feel like me and Raheam, I feel like with the difference in skillsets, this is not going to be a five-round fight. I think I'm going to get him out of there by the second round.

"I've been preparing for this for a long time. My whole career has kind of come down to this moment, so it doesn't feel unnatural."