For C.J. LaFragola, perfect effort a given; now seeking perfect result in front of friendly crowd at CFFC 129

Following first setback of career, LaFragola aims for impressive rebound in familiar venue.

After posting an undefeated amateur career and picking up a victory in his professional debut, C.J. LaFragola had become quite accustomed to having his hand raised each and every time he entered a mixed martial arts competition. That run came to a halt in October, when he squared off against another highly respected prospect in Alonzo Turner.

Of course, outside of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, undefeated records are a rarity in the sport of MMA, and though he was disappointed with the setback, LaFragola understands the nature of the sport.

"I knew Alonzo was a tough opponent; that's why we take that type of fight," LaFragola said. "You want to make it at the next level, you've got to take those tough fights, but I mean I take a lot of positives out of it although the result's definitely not what we want.

"That's what's crazy about MMA: Anything can happen, even if you feel like you're winning the fight. You know, one little slip up here and there, things happen – and win or learn, right? Like everybody says. I know it's cliche, but it's true.”

Losses can often bring frustration or doubt along with them, but LaFragola had no time for such pursuits. As an assistant wrestling coach at Drexel University, a Division I program, LaFragola immediately returned to his team to assist in their pursuit of Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association success.

LaFragola believes the time that followed helped him just as much as it helped the team. 

"I kind of got right back into it," LaFragola said. "I guess we never come out of it in wrestling. You know, everybody, if you want to be at this level, Division I like our guys, I mean, they're going year-round. They train all summer. We do freestyle in the spring, so we're always in it, but it's good to have that camaraderie. You know, I come back from a tough fight, and I've got my boys to pick me up and re-motivate me, and that's what's good about having a team, you know – being a team within a team, right? 

"So I have my team and my family, but then I've got my Drexel family, too, so all the guys love that I push it, and now I'm competing, as well, while they're competing, so we just kind of all motivate each other – so it helped, you know, come back home from that and to jump right back into wrestling season and get on with the grind."

So after returning to training almost immediately, LaFragola now isn't waiting long to return to the cage, either. Just four months after that initial hurdle, LaFragola (1-1) is set for Friday's CFFC 129, which streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS from Philadelphia's 2300 Arena. There, he'll take on CFFC newcomer Ernesto Zarate (2-3).

While Drexel University is still fully entrenched in the final stages of the program's wrestling season, coach LaFragola couldn't turn down the opportunity to fight so close to the place he currently calls home – especially if it meant he could get back to work so quickly in hopes of writing that recent wrong.

"This is where I had my first amateur fight and my last amateur fight," LaFragola said. "This is home base. At this point, I'm familiar with the backstage. I'm familiar with the lights. I know what the cage is going to look like. I know it's a circular cage or whatever. 

"I know what to expect, and I always find that, you know, if I'm comfortable somewhere, I perform the best."

With an impressive victory, LaFragola would instantly seize back the considerable momentum he had built prior to his most recent outing. The 26-year-old prospect is well aware of that possibility but also knows he can't stress too much about the result. Instead, he'll simply ensure that he's leaving absolutely everything in the cage, and he hopes the rest will fall into place. 

"My thing is I'm always going to bring 100 percent," LaFragola said. "I tell our guys this: You know, sometimes you don't have a perfect performance, but you can have perfect effort, and I'm going to bring that perfect effort in there in the cage with me, and I'm just going to push the pace and leave it all out there. 

"I'm not a big trash talker or whatever, but you know, I've just got to let it fly sometimes. I've got to let it go a little more sometimes. I know I have that wrestling base, but you know, this is a fight, so I've got to mix some things up, and that's what I look forward to doing the most, you know? Really just let it fly and kind of open it up a little bit more."