Vilson Ndregjoni aims for UFC bid but has point to prove at CFFC 126: 'I am the champion here'
"The Strong Eagle" was stripped of his title for missing weight in June but vows claim it back on October 13.
Officially, the CFFC 126 headliner will see Vilson Ndregjoni (8-3) and Tariq Ismail (7-1) meet with the promotion's vacant bantamweight title on the line, but "The Strong Eagle" sees things a little differently.
"This means everything for me because I am the champion here," Ndregjoni said. "Just because I missed the weight – like 0.8 of a pound is nothing – but I'm going to let them know who is the champion. I'm going to beat these guys in front of me."
In June, Ndregjoni was seeking the first defense of the title he claimed two months earlier against Ashiek Ajim. Unfortunately, Ndregjoni registered 136.8 pounds, just over the one-pound allowance given in CFFC title fights.
Ndregjoni makes no excuses for the mistake but insists it was a simple oversight on his part.
"I've never missed weight in my life; this was the first time," Ndregjoni said. "I got to the weigh-ins a little late over there because I was supposed to go one day before, but instead I went the day of the weigh-in. When I left my house with my scale, I was like 136, but when I got there, I was 136.8. I don't know what happened because I didn't drink anything. I didn't do anything until I got there."
Ndregjoni was stripped of his title for the infraction, though he would go on to score an impressive second-round stoppage of Wendel Araujo in the following night's main event.
On Friday, October 13, Ndregjoni returns to action against Ismail at CFFC 126, which streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS from Tampa's Florida State Fairgrounds. The belt will be on the line once again, and Ndregjoni has every intention of earning it back.
"I want to make sure everybody knows that I am the champion for Cage Fury," Ndregjoni said. "I made a mistake last time, but hopefully nothing's going to happen this time. I'm going to make a point and be 135, not 136."
Standing on the other side of the cage will be an intense promotional newcomer in Ismail, who looks to play spoiler and claim the belt as his own. Ndregjoni insists he respects his opponent but feels destined for a UFC invite and doesn't plan to lose that opportunity.
"Like everybody that steps in there, when they sign to fight me, when they say yes, that means they think they are better than me," Ndregjoni said. "They think they are more skilled than me, so I respect everybody and know this guy is good.
"He's a standup guy, more of a muay Thai fighter, so I expect for him to put on a great fight and I respect him, but I'm going to show him I'm better than him everywhere – even the standup. Everything. I'm going to show him who is the best in this division and who is the champion."
With a victory, Ndregjoni would earn back the CFFC's bantamweight title, but he also believes a shot at the UFC could come along with that result, and he would love nothing more than to join his countryman, Dennis Buzukja, as recent Albanian additions to the sport's biggest promotion. With that in mind, he's planning to cap off CFFC 126 in style.
"First of all, I do all this for my family," Ndregjoni said. "Second, I do it for all my country. We just got one of my friends in the UFC, Dennis Buzukja, and now, hopefully I'm going to join him.
"I'm going to show that Tariq is not better than me. I am going to win, and hopefully after this one, I'm going to be in the UFC. For my country, for my supporters around the world, I'm going to go there and do my thing, and hopefully I'm going to make everybody proud."
