Former CFFC titleholder Blake Smith simply wants to prove himself correct in journey back to MMA's top tier

Healed and refocused, Smith makes long-awaited return at CFFC 133 on Friday, July 26.

Former CFFC lightweight champion Blake Smith was living the dream. A three-fight run under the CFFC banner saw him claim the belt in thrilling fashion and then register a successful title defense. While he then suffered a setback in a non-title fight, his body of work was enough to earn an invitation to compete at Bellator 294 in a featherweight matchup.

Unfortunately, the dream stopped there. Smith missed weight for the April 2023 matchup and then was submitted in the second round by Cris Lencioni.

Making matters worse, Smith aimed for a late 2023 comeback but was forced to the sidelines after suffering an injury in training.

"I was actually going to fight around October," Smith said. "I hurt my ankle in August. It was a bummer, but it allowed me, I feel, to get better at the aspects that I needed to. I was able to watch grappling rounds and then ask questions, and then once I got clear, able to come back and understand grappling a little better."

Feeling the need to address a few shortcomings, Smith made a change in his training environment, as well, relocating to the rapidly expanding Gracie Tampa South squad to complement his work with Flowers Boxing Lab. 

"Training at Gracie Tampa South under Matt Arroyo and guys like Billy Quarantillo, who's in the UFC – I believe top-20 – training with guys like that on a regular basis, and a lot of D-1 guys now that I train with, has helped tremendously. 

Now, with 15 months in the shadows, Smith (7-4 MMA, 2-1 CFFC) is ready to return to the cage on Friday, July 26, at "CFFC 133: Watley vs. Forest," which streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS from the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. There, the former champ takes on a returning Keith Speed (5-7 MMA, 0-2 CFFC), who has faced tough competition in his first two CFFC appearances in decision losses to top talents Anthony Dilemme and Mark Grey.

Smith has respect for his opponent's grappling and durability but is more worried about showing his own improvements rather than concerning himself with his opponent's skills. 

"Just to prove myself correct and not feel like I 'wasted' a year out of the game," Smith revealed. "So it's self-driven, just to prove myself right, where I know I can go to the upper echelons. I've been there. It didn't quite go my way, but I know the areas that I need to improve in."

Those improvements didn't just include tightening up the grappling chops. Smith also enlisted the help of a sports psychologist that has stressed the importance of positive affirmations not only in his MMA career, but in life in general.  

"Prove yourself right is the biggest thing," Smith said. "Don't worry about proving anyone wrong because they have power over you in a sense, so I'm always going to prove myself right at the end of the day."

Now as he looks to build back to a big-show invite, Smith credits the support of his coaches and training partners in fueling his return to action.

"Support system is key because confidence, man, can be broken in two minutes, but can take 10 years to build," Smith explained. "That's with anything in life, and I'm just building confidence."

It's been more than two years since Smith registered his last victory, a CFFC title defense over Paris Artis at CFFC 106. Two losses and an injury later, Smith is driven to prove he was worthy of his previous accolades. The skillset has been honed. The mind has been centered. At CFFC 133, Smith said it's time to put on a show.

"Per usual, excitement," Smith said. "A guy who's ready to come forward, bite my gumshield when I need to – just being in my opponent's face and just pure excitement." 

"I always try to win the crowd. Just like the movie 'Gladiator,' win the crowd, Maximus. I always try to win the crowd – so exciting, and I'm a crowd-pleaser."