Jason Eastman eager to take CFFC title from Bilal Hasan: 'I'm just excited to get in there and steal this kid's thunder'
American Top Team veteran believes he can be first to beat flyweight champ in CFFC 143 headliner this Friday on UFC FIGHT PASS.
Jason Eastman had an opportunity to claim the CFFC flyweight title from an undefeated reigning champion back in 2021, and it didn't go his way. Four years later, he finds himself in the exact same position, and this time he's expecting different results.
"Super excited, man," Eastman said. "I'm very thankful for the opportunity. I love CFFC, man. It's got great competition. It has a prestigious title – you know, there's a lot of weight behind the title and the promotion, itself, and I'm just excited to get in there and steal this kid's thunder."
In 2021, it was Phumi Nkuta who was holding the title, and he was able to outwrestle the challenger over the course of four rounds to secure his second defense of the belt. The frustrating experience forced Eastman to go back to the drawing board at the famed American Top Team headquarters, and he's been working diligently on improvements ever since.
"I've grown so much, man," Eastman said. "I mean, that fight was how many years ago? Four years ago. Yeah, dude, come on. I'm a totally different guy since then, and I'm super excited to show the abilities I've gained since that fight."
Eastman (8-4 MMA, 1-1 CFFC) gets that chance in the main event of Friday's CFFC 143, when he faces undefeated champion Bilal Hasan (6-0 MMA, 6-0 CFFC) in matchup that streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS from 4 Bears Casino & Lodge in New Town, North Dakota.
It's Eastman's first appearance under the CFFC banner since that previous title loss, but he insists he's spent the past four years grinding in pursuit of his dream, even as his responsibilities have grown with the birth of his two children.
"Nobody outworks me," Eastman said. "I wake up at 4 a.m. every day and I go to work, and after I'm done working, I come straight to the gym and I train. Then I go home and I'd be with my family, and a lot of times I go back to work at night or I'll do privates, and I do it all over again the next day, man. Nobody outworks me.
"I have had a growing family, and we're so blessed for that, but I mean that's the thing, you know, that's one of my secret weapons, is the hard work."
If you're looking for a chance to get better as a fighter, there might not be a better place on the planet to do it than American Top Team, and Eastman has taken full advantages of the resources that gym presents. Working alongside the likes of UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja, former Bellator MMA and Rizin FF titleholder Kyoji Horiguchi and multiple-time ONE Championship kingpin Adriano Moraes, Eastman knows he's capable of competing with the world's best.
"These guys are in the room every day with me," Eastman said. "We train together every day, and me and Pantoja in particular are pretty tight. We roll often. Me and Kyoji roll often. Me and Adriano less often, but these guys are guys that I'm tight with, and I mean, some of them are great friends of mine.
"I'm super lucky and blessed, and also it's an incredible measuring stick for me being able to train with these guys and see exactly where I'm at. When they tell me like, 'Bro, you're ready,' I know they're being for real. They don't just give those kind of compliments out, you know?"
Eastman will certainly need to be ready against Hasan, a 23-year-old phenom who seems to get better each and every time he steps in the cage. The champ has delivered some of the most viral CFFC finishes in recent memory. Eastman has been watching from afar and believes he's up to the challenge.
"I asked for him a while back, but it ended up not happening, and he took another fight" Eastman revealed. "This is the kind of guy I want. I want a guy that's got a lot of clout to him, a lot of shine, a lot of thunder, and I want to come in, and I want to steal it. I think he's done some cool things against lesser opposition, but I don't think he's ready for the type of caliber fighter I am. I'm going to come in, and I'm going to be in his face, and I'm fearless and he is never fought anybody like that.
"It's going to be a super exciting fight for fans because man, this is gonna be a UFC caliber fight with two guys that are willing to stand in there and damage each other. It's going to be so fun to watch it."
