CFFC champ Elise Reed not rushing move to next level, but thinks history shows her worth

CFFC strawweight champion Elise Reed isn’t the type of fighter to ask for anything she doesn’t truly feel she deserves. But as she continues to rack up quality wins early in her career, Reed believes it’s hard to deny her level.

“I think I’m at a stage where the only way to get better is to keep fighting people that are challenging,” Reed said. “It would be fun to kind of go through the routine of putting up fights and having those awesome highlight finishes and whatever else. But I mean, the only real way to get better is to get people that are meeting or exceeding your experience level, so I think I’ve proven that I’m one of those strong fighters at this point.”

Reed earned the CFFC title in just her second professional fight, scoring a hard-fought split-decision win over a heavily hyped Jasmine Jasudavicius. Reed then successfully defended her title in December, scoring another hard-fought decision win over five-time Invicta FC veteran Jillian DeCoursey.

Reed said she’d love to have a highlight reel of big finishes but thinks the skills she’s learning in battles against more experienced fighters is serving her quite well for the future.

“I think every fighter kind of wants to get in and get out as quickly as possible,” Reed said. “That’s more bang for your buck, right? But I’m also someone that’s proven that I have plenty of endurance and the capability to be able to draw somebody into the third, fourth, fifth round.”

Reed (3-0) will once again draw a tough opponent in her next assignment, taking on Dana White’s Contender Series veteran Hilarie Rose (5-2) in the main event of Saturday’s CFFC 97 event, which streams live on UFC Fight Pass from Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena. The card serves as the second night of back-to-back CFFC events.

Rose was victorious at May’s CFFC 95 event, and Reed was cageside to watch the appearance.

“After it was done, it’s like, ‘OK, so we’ve got a matchup,” Reed said. “I’ve been very fortunate they were able to put it together and that Hillary is open to fighting, you know, eight weeks after or seven weeks after her last one.

“She’s well-rounded. She’s coming from the Contender Series. No fights at this point are going to be easy, so we’re just looking for the next level.”

Reed isn’t in a hurry to get to the UFC. She’s more interested in making sure that once she’s there, she’s prepared to stay there and make a real run to the top. But with a win over a Dana White’s Contender Series veteran, she’s sure to earn some looks from UFC brass.

After all, Jasudavicius earned an invitation to Dana White’s Contender Series this fall, as well, so that win already looks even better in retrospect.

“The fight with Hilarie is the most important fight right now, and we can talk about what can happen after or not happen after, and that’s great,” Reed said. “But, you know, you’re only as good as your last one, so I don’t mind the discussion. I think I’ve earned the ability to have that discussion at this point, with defeating somebody that’s now getting the Contender Series in September. I think it’s just now me backing up what people are expecting of me at this point.”

So far, that’s meant fighting tooth and nail against anyone willing to stand on the opposite side of the cage. The 28-year-old Reed would love to have something a little more dominant this time around, but she’s not going to back down from anything thrown her way.

“For me, it’s just really about getting more comfortable in the cage and being able to show off all the other stuff that I know how to do,” Reed said. “I look forward to all these opportunities, and I’m definitely excited for May 29, and I think it’s going to be a really good show.”

This story was first published at CFFC.tv.