Former champ Raheam Forest looking to rebound in style at CFFC 121: 'I've got to make a statement'

After ceding his welterweight title in previous outing, 'Rambo' ready to move forward in return bout.

Raheam Forest isn't the type of guy to make excuses. Sure, a first-round submission loss isn't exactly the way he predicted things would go in his April meeting with recent UFC signee Charlie Radtke, but "Rambo" simply chalks it up to "Chuck Buffalo" being the better man on the night.

"Everybody probably feels the same after a loss – down, disappointed in themselves – but man, I can come back from it," Forest said. "I got back to the gym right away. It took about a week or two, just to heal the body, but then I got right back to it, working on everything, the ground game, and just becoming mentally stronger for me. Other than that, I got past it. I'm looking forward."

Sure, there were some extenuating circumstances that added to Forest's challenges ahead of his first professional loss. Unexpected travel delays threw off the schedule for his weight cut, and a hotel power outage meant he had to relocate to another venue to find a sauna. But as Forest quickly points out, Radtke had a similar journey for that CFFC 118 bout in Philadelphia, which is why the Memphis Judo & Jiu-Jitsu product hesitates to bring any of it up.

Still, deep down, he knows things weren't right that night.

"The weight cut was just weird," Forest admits. "My body was not good. That's not an excuse, but my body was completely out of it. We were in the back just going over like getting up from the bottom, and I felt like a negative-three white belt. I couldn't move my body. It was just out of it."

Shortly after the fight, Radtke got the call to the UFC and is expected to make his debut for the promotion later this year. While one might expect Forest to be frustrated at that development, he insists he was actually in full support of his former opponent getting the big-show invite.

"I was happy for him," Forest said. "Maybe we can do the rematch in the UFC. I would like that. I think if we were to get past the first, we both get warm and got comfortable in the cage, it would have been a great fight."

But for now, Forest (6-1) has eyes on a different opponent: Tre'ston Vines (6-2).

The two meet on the UFC FIGHT PASS-broadcast main card of CFFC 121, which takes place on Friday, July 14, at Mississippi's Horseshoe Tunica Casino & Hotel.

For Forest, who hails from just down Highway 61 in Memphis, it's a shot at redemption in a friendly environment, and he's looking forward to the opportunity. He also knows Vines presents another stiff test for him as he looks to follow Radtke into the sport's top promotions.

"I know a bit about him," Forest said. "He's seasoned. He's a seasoned veteran, just like Charles. I think he's a black belt, so they're throwing all the black belts at me now. Yeah, he's a gritty fighter. He has a weird style, but I like it, so I've just got to be careful with him."

But more than being careful, Forest wants to be impressive. At just 25, "Rambo" was considered one of the top welterweight prospects in the country prior to the loss, and while time is certainly on his side, he wants to prove those expectations were all well deserved.

"Hopefully I get the call I've been working towards, but I'm not rushing anything," Forest said. "I'm not rushing it, but I've got to make a statement with my performance at CFFC 121, and then we'll see where we go from there."