Aaron Jeffery: “I think it’s a matchup I should be able to show my skillset”
Aaron Jeffery is headlining CFFC 93 on March 12th. After losing on Dana White’s Contender Series, Jeffery has won three straight fights, all by finish in one way or another. He’s looked fantastic since that fight and you can absolutely tell that he’s put in the work since losing to Brendan Allen in 2019. Now 2021, Jeffery believes it’s his turn and the call up to the UFC is within reach.
Jeffery started fighting just being the little brother. His big brother watched fights and he did as well and eventually, the older Jeffery wanted to train some and Aaron went along. He kept plugging away and eventually led to him fighting as a professional.
“I have an older brother. He was always watching fights with his brother so I started watching with him. We’re from a small town and he found a little Jiu Jitsu and kickboxing gym near us and he started training. I just kind of tagged along with the little brother thing and stuck with it ever since.”
Outside of fighting, Jeffery is a normal guy. He’s just really good at punching and kicking. He reads books and takes his time outside the house.
“I’m super fucking boring man, to be honest. I read books and I go for walks, that’s pretty much it.” When I asked about the books Jeffery reads he doubled down saying, “Yeah, that gets even more boring. I read sciency stuff like nutrition, biology and that kind of stuff.”
Aaron Jeffery the UFC, COVID-19 and CFFC 93
As mentioned earlier, the UFC is just in the reach of Jeffery. He’s shown loads of improvement and is ready skill-wise to join the greatest mixed martial arts promotion in the world. But, in his head, it’s long overdue.
“Hopefully it’s enough man, I don’t know. People have been saying it for at least a year now. On your Instagram stories, it shows ‘On this Day’ and it keeps showing articles from a year ago saying, ‘Fighters that should be in the UFC, Fighters that only need one more win.’ And it still hasn’t happened. Let’s hope this CFFC title is enough for them.”
COVID-19 hasn’t been kind to anyone. For Aaron Jeffery, training has been tough. Canada has been strict and his providence has been above the average of lockdown tactics. It’s made training hard for the middleweight.
“It’s brutal, man. The restrictions keep getting worse. They’ll lift them for a bit then they make them worse again. Right now, it’s a stay at home order in Ontario, the province that we’re in. So it’s supposed to be you’re not leaving the house unless it’s essential. Obviously running around on the ground with a bunch of sweaty dudes is not deemed essential. Everything is kind of on the down low. The fight scene in Canada is dead. It’s hard to find partners, people are scared to come out. We have bylaw officers show up at the gym. It’s tough.”
The loss to Allen on the Contender Series was a blessing in disguise for Jeffery. He believes that loss gave him time to get better before joining the UFC potentially prematurely. Now, he feels like he’s a completely different, and improved, fighter.
“I think looking back, hindsight is 20/20, it’s easy to say it’s for the best. I don’t know what would have happened if I won that fight. But now it feels as if everything went okay. I got a quick win afterwards and I improved a lot since then. I think if I would have been in the UFC at that point in my career, I would have not done as well as I could do now. I take it as a positive.”
Aaron Jeffery continues, saying that the experience gained since that fight in 2019 has been invaluable and now, he’s ready for the big show.
“It’s been a year and a half since that fight. I think I’ve matured and I feel like I’m more ready at this point. I’ve got three more fights since then, more experience is always good. I learned a couple things from that fight, I’m a bit hungrier too, getting that close and getting that UFC treatment then having it taken away. I think that made me want it more.”
Being the main event is cool and gets a young, aspiring fighter the exposure that they may deserve. But, Aaron Jeffery says that also comes with a bit of pressure, though not as you’d expect. Going to fist fight is torture, especially when you have to wait. Jeffery says he simply can’t wait to get it over with so he can simply have a beer.
“You see all the guys coming out of the changing room and you see the relief when they get back there. Guys coming back in the changing room after they win and they’re so relaxed. They started eating shitty food and drinking beers and whatever and I’m like, ‘Fuck, I just want to be that guy right now.’ Especially if you have teammates that are fighting with you too because you’re all stressed before the fight together and the go out and fight and come back in and they’re stress is gone. You’re like, ‘Fuck, I want to be in that situation right now.'”
Despite being a step from the UFC, Jeffery isn’t sweating the fight with Colin Huckbody itself. It’s a good matchup and he believes he can show out and that is what he’s concentrating on: being the best version Aaron Jeffery yet on March 12th.
“I don’t really think about statements or what’s after the fight. I just want to perform well. I think it’s a good matchup for me. I think it’s a matchup I should be able to show my skillset. So I just want to go in there and beat the shit out of this guy and look good.”
Aaron Jeffery fights Colin Huckbody on March 12th at CFFC 93 live on UFC Fight Pass. Other fighters on that card is fellow Dodge Sports talent Jasmine Jasudavicius as well as a heavyweight title fight between Jamelle Jones and Cody Goodale. Don’t miss it!
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