Christian McAuley calls his shot, says move to UFC is 100 percent inevitable: 'Dana, look at my fights'
Undefeated bantamweight prospect returns to action at Friday's CFFC 138 event in Atlantic City and live on UFC FIGHT PASS.
After his brutal submission of former ONE Championship veteran Tial Thang in October, Christian McAuley will make a quick turnaround in a matchup against Elijah Harris on CFFC's final MMA card of the year.
McAuley boasts a perfect professional record, with four of his victories coming by finish, including three of those via anaconda choke. The Tiger Schulmann's prospect will make yet another walk to the cage less than two months after his impressive victory over Thang to stay as active as he can in his pursuit of the sport's highest stage.
Now fight fans worldwide will get to see another glimpse of this up-and-coming prospect live at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City on Friday on the main card of CFFC 138, which streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS. This will be McAuley's third scheduled fight in six months, and the 25-year-old feels that it is important for him to keep his momentum going.
Now on the heels of what he feels is one of his more impressive victories, McAuley remains humble and dedicated to improving his craft.
"I think it was one of my better performances," McAuley said of his last appearance. "There were some things I could fix from the fight. There were things I wasn't happy with. That comes with every fight for me because I'm a perfectionist. I'm always looking to improve and always looking to get better. Everything I do in the cage I want to be perfect."
McAuley was originally expected to face Paul Capaldo at Friday's event, but the eight-time CFFC veteran was forced to withdraw from the card just a few days out. However, McAuley (5-0 MMA, 4-0 CFFC) wasted no time when he heard there was an opportunity to instead fight Elijah Harris (6-8 MMA, 0-2 CFFC) at CFFC 138.
McAuley recognizes Harris as another tough test, a true "anybody, anywhere, anytime" fighter who had no issue stepping in on short notice. He also realizes the expectations all fall on his shoulders, so he's keeping his focus on remaining undefeated.
CFFC 138 features a stacked lineup of prospects, and McAuley feels with his new matchup secured, he's ready to make a big statement and stand out above the rest.
“It's going to be a lot of me putting the pressure on him, him trying to move around and looking for those openings to explode," McAuley said. "It won't be the 'Fight of the Night' because I'm looking to put on the 'Performance of the Night.'"
With a lot of eyes drawn towards CFFC 138 due to the sheer amount of talent on the card, this serves as an amazing opportunity for McAuley to show the brass at UFC that he's ready for a shot on the big stage.
The other option, of course, would be a highly anticipated fight against current CFFC bantamweight champion Joey Ruquet (10-4 MMA, 1-0 CFFC), who recently won the title at September's CFFC 135 after an amazing performance against former undefeated prospect Khusein Shaikhaev.
McAuley feels that his dedication to his craft, his skills, and his sheer heart and determination put him above the rest of his division and that he deserves to be recognized as one of the best prospects in the promotion today. He also believes another win under his belt not only puts him in CFFC title contention but also makes a great argument as to why Dana White should be knocking on his door.
Of course, none of that speculation matters if he doesn't get the job done on Friday night.
"My plan right now is to be 6-0 come December 13, get the CFFC world title, and then get into the Dana White's Contender Series or the UFC," McAuley said. "Dana, look at my fights. I've finished most of them. My life is 24/7 martial arts. My life is immersed in this game. My fights are always action-packed. I will bring in-your-face pressure from the bell and will always look for the finish.
"It's 100 percent inevitable that I will be in the UFC."
