Lucas Seibert embraces title shot, headlining role at Friday's CFFC 153: 'I'm ready to show how good I am'
"Steel City" challenging for gold in promotional debut and welcomes toughest challenges available on journey to UFC
Lucas Seibert wasn't expecting to headline Friday's CFFC 153 event, but with a late shuffle of the evening's lineup, he'll be the final athlete on the night to enter the cage. Perfect, says the undefeated 26-year-old bantamweight.
"It's like a dream come true," Seibert said. "I always wanted to fight for CFFC, looking up to guys like Aljamain Sterling and Sean Brady and watching it. I've gone to a couple events now, and headlining in a city like Philadelphia, a fighting city, it's sick, man. I cannot wait for this opportunity."
Astute observers will remember Seibert did compete once previously under the CFFC banner, but that was at a grappling event this past May, where he scored a submission win over reigning NCAA Division I wrestling champion Lucas Byrd. It was a shocking result to many in real time, but not to Seibert.
"I remember being backstage right before I walked out, and they were like, 'You've got an opportunity to pull a big upset,' and me and my coach looked at each other and we were like, 'They must not know who the f-ck you are,'" Seibert recalled. "In my head, it wasn't going to be an upset, and obviously it went that way, right? So that was a really cool opportunity."
Eleven months later, Seibert (6-0 MMA, 0-0 CFFC) will get his long-awaited MMA debut for the organization, and he's got an opportunity to claim an interim title when he faces fellow bantamweight challenger Sebastian Ruiz (7-4 MMA, 1-0 CFFC) in the main event of Friday's CFFC 153 event, which streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS from Philadelphia's 2300 Arena following prelims that stream at OnlyFans.com/cffcmma.
A former collegiate wrestler who has excelled in his transition to MMA, Seibert is a combined 11-0 across his professional and amateur careers thus far, and he enters his CFFC debut with significant expectations. Seibert credits unwavering self-belief, as well his team at Pittsburgh's Stout PGH, for his success thus far.
"I know how good I am," Seibert said. "I know my potential is to be a world champion, and I truly, truly believe that – and I believe that a lot more lately, which is a dangerous for everybody else. My coaches and the people I'm surrounded with – I've got, in my opinion, some of the best coaches in the world, best coaches you've never heard of, and I think that that's a big key to my success, moving out here."
It hasn't been an easy journey for the Ohio native, who moved to Pittsburgh for personal reasons but found professional success and decided to stay to chase his MMA dream.
"I've slept in the gym, lived in the gym, lived on floors for months at times," Seibert said. "It was all because I truly believed in the people that were around me, and not only did I believe in them, but they believed in me, and seeing somebody that had that much belief in me really, really just gave me incentive to stay and grow and develop here."
The decision appears to have paid dividends, but it will be put to the test again on Friday against a dangerous opponent with more professional experience and a current five-fight win streak. Seibert doesn't minimize the challenge but instead embraces the toughest tests available as he looks to make his way to the UFC.
"Dude's good," Seibert said. "Great striker. He's a model of somebody that's supposed to beat me, right? A little bit of a veteran, had a lot of good fights, and that's what I like, man.
"I'm trying to get to the UFC. Sebastian, man, he started off with a shaky record and then he went on a big win streak, and like I said, he's somebody that is a blueprint to beat me, but I want to fight the best people in the world, right? And to do that, you have to fight guys like this on the regional scene, and doing it for a company like CFFC that is constantly getting guys to the UFC, has had guys that eventually became UFC champions, has guys like Sean Brady and stuff like that, it's a great opportunity for me, and it's something that I always kind of envisioned for myself. I always envisioned myself having the CFFC title.”
As CFFC brass often advise to fighters, the goal is never about just about getting to the UFC – it's about staying there for as long as possible. It's a mindset Seibert has embraced ahead of his promotional debut.
"When I get to the UFC, I want to know that I'm ready," Seibert said. "I have to have a strength of schedule. I've got a Big Ten, SEC schedule. I'm not getting in there with a MAC schedule, right? I'm ready to go out and bang with some of the best people in the world.
"When I get signed, when I get the Contender Series or whatever it is, I'm ready to go out there, and I'm ready to perform against some of the best people in the world."
Claiming the CFFC title could certainly help expedite that process, and Seibert is acutely aware. Even in the weeks ahead of this contest, there were rumblings he might get pulled in favor of a spot on "The Ultimate Fighter 34," which is currently filming in Las Vegas. Ultimately, that did not come to fruition, but the vision for Seibert was always to make his way to the UFC through CFFC, and on Friday night, he'll get to try and make the first step of that dream become a reality.
"I'm grateful for this opportunity and I'm ready," Seibert said. "I can't wait to perform for the people back home in Columbus, the people in Pittsburgh, and put on a show for the people in Philadelphia, the great fighting city of Philly.
"I'm really grateful for the opportunity. I'm ready to show how good I am."
