Middleweight contender Chris Curtis will make his return inside the octagon on June 10th as he takes on Nassourdine Imamov at UFC 289. This matchup is a three-round bout and is scheduled to take place in the prelims of the PPV.
Action-Man will be looking to get back to winning ways after suffering a controversial split decision loss to Kelvin Gastelum in his last fight at UFC 287.
Why did Chris Curtis change his weight class?
Chris Curtis’ rise to the UFC has been nothing short of spectacular. The middleweight contender has dropped several jaw-breaking performances and has never failed to entertain the fans every time he steps inside the octagon. Interestingly, Action-Man has competed in different weight classes throughout his professional career.
Before earning the UFC contract, Curtis fought Sean Lally at 170 in the final fight of DWCS. Surprisingly, despite getting the knockout win at welterweight, Chris Curtis wanted a contract allowing him to compete in the middleweight division. His decision to move up to 185 has been perfect so far as Action-Man has won four of his six fights in the UFC.
As we inch closer to the UFC 289 PPV, Chris Curtis who will be competing on the prelims sat down for an interview with MMA Junkie. During this interview, Action-Man discussed his upcoming matchup and in one of the segments, the middleweight contender also explained why he was competing in the 170-pound division.
“I could make 170, but it sucks. One-seventy requires a significant sacrifice of lifestyle and happiness, and just my quality of life dips tremendously at ’70 – but I know I could still do it. I always said when I got signed, you know 85, I was playing with house money, because I’m never supposed to be here. Then I f*cked around and got ranked.”
He also added “I don’t want to be a welterweight, man. God, that was so bad. But if it comes down to me not performing or me having to suffer, I’m going to choose to suffer every time.”
Has Curtis ever won the UFC gold?
To answer the question, Chris Curtis has not won a UFC title in his career as of now. After destroying his competition and earning the UFC contract, Chris Curtis made his debut against Phil Hawes at UFC 268 in 2021. Action-Man sparked Hawes out cold in the first round to make a statement in his UFC debut.
He carried on the momentum for his next two fights as he knocked out Brendan Allen and outclassed Rodolfo Vieira. However, his rise to the top of the middleweight division came to a halt as Jack Hermannson dominated Curtis and handed him his first UFC loss.
He bounced back strongly in his next fight as he knocked out Joaquin Buckley at UFC 282. Following this win, Curtis entered the top 15 of the middleweight division. He took on Gastelum in his next fight and ended up suffering a heartbreaking loss. As of now, Action-Man is #14 in the 185-pound division. A win over Imamov at UFC 290 guarantees him one step closer to the top 10.
Besides, if Curtis becomes consistent and racks up a winning streak, there is a high possibility that he gets a title shot. Given the fact that he is a highly entertaining fighter and is good at promoting his fights.
