Blake Bilder has spent the last several years battling through the U.S. regional circuit, pushing himself toward this very opportunity — a shot at a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series.
The Costa Mesa, California native Bilder (6-0-1) enters the weekend as the reigning CFFC featherweight titleholder, having successfully defended his belt in April. Tomorrow night, he steps into the cage against Canadian opponent Alex Morgan (11-4) in a featherweight matchup on DWCS.
Bilder acknowledges Morgan's toughness and refuses to dismiss his opponent. Instead, the 32-year-old is laser-focused on one goal: walking out of the UFC Apex with a signed contract in hand.
"All I know is he's just another fighter," Bilder told MMA Empire. "I'm not downgrading him or upgrading him. For me, he is human. He's a fighter and he's got a lot of experience. I just feel like my skillset has improved so much and I have a lot of experience as well."
"I just bet on myself more than anybody else and I believe in my abilities and I just focus on my skillset," he continued. "I'm not necessarily focused on what he's done, what he can do and anything like that. I'm just honing in on my skills and focusing on me because the real battle is with the man in the mirror."
This moment carries deep significance for Bilder. Earlier this year, his younger brother tragically took his own life.
A vocal advocate for mental health awareness within MMA, Bilder expressed gratitude for the progress the sport has made in encouraging fighters to speak openly about their struggles.
"You know, it's me, Tyson Fury, Paddy Pimblett and so many more," Bilder shared. "It's great that it's being talked about. After my little brother took his own life I said I don't believe in depression. I said I will not be at that state anymore. The reasoning is if I believe in depression that means I'm giving reasons to why it's real. Yeah, you can feel sad, but to remain there and identify there as a person you are going to seek to find reasons why that is true."
"Your believe system is a program that is ran in your head. It leads to your thoughts, feelings, action and the result is depression. But if you don't believe in the thoughts, don't serve it, the feelings won't adhere to it, the action won't end up being a result of depression. For me, I choose not to believe in depression. You can feel sad, but if you choose to believe in it you are setting yourself up for disaster."
