From 'basic nerd' to CFFC 121, Tre'ston Vines refuses to stop chasing his dream

Anime and kung fu movies instilled a passion, and Vines insists 'I'm just going to keep going until I get what I want'

Tre'ston Vines isn't shy about hiding the genesis of his martial arts career. While he's currently an impressive welterweight prospect, he wasn't necessarily always the rough-and-tough type.

"Well, I first started coming down this path of just being a basic nerd," Vines admits. "It started from watching, like, kung fu movies, watching anime, playing video games, watching Power Rangers. Later, I started watching boxing matches, and I think I found out about the UFC around 2002 when it first aired on FOX Sports around that time. That's when I fell in love with the sport, and I've been involved with it ever since."

Vines didn't immediately jump into training, instead having to wait until he was old enough to get a job and pay for his own gym dues, but it's been nonstop ever since, working diligently under Shane Mills at Alabama's Kage Fit Academy.

"There's been some people that have left and some new people that came, some have stayed – you know, just how it is – but it's still the same OG's that I've been with ever since," Vines said.

So far, the approach has worked. Beginning his amateur career at just 18, Vines earned an impressive 10-2 record in a four-year run. He's since built a 6-2 record as a professional, as well, but believes his best performances are still to come as he rounds out his skillsets as an elite martial artist.

"My coach wanted me to be a blue belt when I first started, and ever since then, he's just been building on that training, just me building on every aspect of my game from the jiu-jitsu, from the wrestling, from the boxing, from the kickboxing, and from the muay Thai," Vines said. "I'm blessed to just have it all in one instead of just focusing on one thing because I like mixing it up. At first, when you watch my fights, I'm presumed as a striker, but I'm more than just that."

Vines looks to take another step forward in his career on Friday, when he's featured in the co-main event of this weekend's CFFC 121 event, which streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS from Mississippi's Horseshoe Tunica Casino & Hotel. While it's his debut for the promotion, Vines (6-2) gets a tough assignment in former CFFC welterweight champion Raheam Forest (6-1).

"I see it as just another day in the office, just an opportunity for me being a problem solver," Vines said. "I like to take all the opportunities and all the fights, whether it's to go up against a former champ, go up against a highly skilled wrestler, me going up against just an excellent athlete. I try to be a problem solver, and that's all I see as a martial artist – to be problem solvers. 

"I try my best not to use brute force. I try to be tactical and technical as much as possible so I can go in there and do what I need to do and get the job done and be phenomenal and be glorious doing it."

Should Vines prove victorious, it would certainly be the most high-profile win of his career, but it's a challenge for which he feels prepared. After downing a previously undefeated Ian Stephens on the Tennessee regional scene in his most recent outing, Vines believes he's hitting his stride.

"I feel like I'm unlocking a different part of me, just a different chapter in my life – all of my life, as a martial artist and as a man, too," Vines said. "After that last fight that I had with Ian Stephens, I think I just unlocked a new chapter, just being who I am and performing better – and yes, I've still got a long way to go, but at the same exact time, I'm just blessed to be in positions to have these opportunities, and I'm blessed to just go after the competition and conquer the competition as much as possible. I love it."

Where Vines ultimately ends up in his professional career remains to be seen, but at 27, he believes he's entering his prime. But more than anything, he just knows that his drive won't let him stop the pursuit of his dream.

"I'd like to thank my team at Kage Fit Top Pressure Fight Team," Vines said. "I'd also like to thank Iridium Sports for giving me this opportunity again. They've always got my back on giving me good fights. Also, I'd like to thank the teams that I've trained with at Spartan Fitness. They've got some good guys. They're coming up as well, just like us, and I'd just like to thank my friends and my family for always having my back and helping me chase this passion and chase these dreams. 

"I've been chasing this dream since I was 18, and I promise you that I'm not going to stop. I'm just going to keep going until I get what I want, and it's not just the money. It's just that I want that purpose. The money is going to come, but I'm going to chase what I want, and I'm going to keep doing it until the death of me."