Chris Vasil finds himself in a position he never expected at CFFC 123
'Bad Apple' never assumed he'd be fighting for a title, but he's earned a shot to claim gold at Friday's event on UFC FIGHT PASS.
The dream for every fighter is to have the gold belt wrapped around their waist, but for featherweight prospect Chris Vasil, the opportunity to fight for a championship was something he never imagined could happen when he started his career.
"Honestly, I never really expected anything like this to happen when I got into this game," Vasil said. "When I first started fighting, I would watch pro fights and I was like, 'Oh man, there's no shot I want to do that.' Then when I started fighting pro, I saw these guys fighting for titles and doing stuff on TV and I thought, 'Oh man, there's no way I'll ever get into that,' and here I am now. It's surreal almost to be in that scenario to look back and see what I have done but now know I am in that spotlight and that spot I never thought I would be at."
Now heading into this sixth CFFC fight, Vasil is no rookie in the fight game. He has fought some of the toughest competition in the sport, including former CFFC bantamweight champion Vilson Ndregjoni in a bout he thought he had won.
After a controversial split-decision loss to Ndregjoni at CFFC 109, Vasil didn't dwell on his defeat. Instead, he delivered a highlight-reel knockout over Frank Wells at CFFC 116 six months later.
"That was kind of a crazy experience because I remember specifically when I was going into the third round and I think I'm up 2-0, but judges suck, so I'm probably 1-1 right now, so I really need to give these guys something to think about," Vasil said. "So I took the shot, which was poorly set up on my part, and then I remember thinking as I was failing on the shot, 'He saw this one coming, so let's get up top.'
"I started grabbing the clinch, and I very specifically remember thinking this in the moment. I was like, 'This knee I am about to throw isn't going to do any damage, but we should throw it anyway and use it to set something else up.' I threw the knee, and I honestly didn't even feel his face on my knee, and then all of a sudden I saw him going backward."
Vasil's win set him up for a shot at the CFFC title against featherweight champion Jose Perez at CFFC 121 in July, but that would not come to be.
After the fight with Perez was called off a day before it was set to take place due to some health issues with his opponent, a new date for the two was immediately discussed to get the matchup rescheduled.
"I said, 'Yeah, let's keep it rolling,'" Vasil said about rescheduling the fight. "So we rescheduled for September 1. Again, it was kind of a surreal experience. I was waking up ready to cut weight and ready to go, and then all of a sudden, 'Hey, remember that thing you came down here for? It's not happening. Nothing is happening. You can drink water. You haven't weighed in yet. You aren't fighting anymore.' I haven't really had that happen yet as a professional."
The highly anticipated fight is now back on, as Vasil (6-3) looks to claim the featherweight championship from the belt holder Perez (7-1) in the main event of CFFC 123 this Friday at Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, and streaming live on UFC FIGHT PASS.
Even though he is fighting as the main event of the evening, Vasil won't let it get to his head. Whether it is the first bout of the night or the last, the sport is still the same.
"It's the same thing, man," Vasil said. "It's the same sh-t every time. Fighting is fighting. I've been the main man before as a pro, as an amateur. It's nothing that's foreign. At CFFC, there's only been two other times where I haven't been the co-main event or higher up on the card, so fighting later on the card, I don't think that's going to be a problem."
As Vasil and Perez prepare for a possible 25 minutes of championship action in the octagon, Vasil is well aware of what he is getting himself into, and he is prepared for an all-out brawl – even if it's a position he never imagined he would be.
"What can we expect to see?" Vasil asked. "I think in the first round, we're going to meet in the middle, we're going to start throwing down, and if neither of us goes down in the first minute or two, I think we're going to find out real quick who the big d-ck in the locker room is. Within the first couple of minutes, I think, is going to set the tone and pace for the rest of the fight. It's going to be a f-cking war and I know it. Jose is tough. He's extremely tough and very durable. I like to think of myself as kind of tough and kind of durable, as well, so at this point, it's just a matter of who wants it more."
ARTICLE BY: DENNIS OLSON