Chris Curtis scored an enormous win at UFC 297, even when he didn’t win over everybody.
Throughout Curtis’ three-round combat with Marc-Andre Barriault this previous Saturday in Toronto, “The Motion Man” and his opponent had been sometimes booed as they engaged in a tactical putting battle. Curtis went on to earn a cut up choice and snap a three-fight winless skid, however the second was considerably spoiled by the bout’s crucial reception.
What bothered Curtis essentially the most was the commentary by analysts Dominick Cruz and Daniel Cormier, who Curtis says have by no means given him a good shake.
“I get s*** on by ‘DC’ and Dominick Cruz each time I combat,” Curtis stated on The MMA Hour. “It doesn’t matter what’s taking place. DC was kinder than earlier than, however Dominick Cruz is rather like, ‘It seems to be like he’s sparring,’ and blah blah blah. Bro, [Barriault is] a stable man. He’s been knocked out as soon as, I’ve been knocked out as soon as. It’s not going to be straightforward to knock the opposite down, it’s simply not. I hit him with some s*** that I’ve dropped folks with, and he simply type of checked out it. I elbowed him a couple of occasions, I went to maneuver in, he’s simply watching me like he’s again there. I hear Dominick Cruz say, ‘It’s identical to a sparring match,’ after which, to not be a dick, however individuals are going to latch on to what the commentary says, and now I hear, ‘He didn’t even combat onerous. It was a low-energy sparring match.’ Stand in entrance of me and let me hit you an identical approach.
“Marc-Andre Barriault is a f****** tank. The dude’s been stopped as soon as, and that’s why. I don’t know the place you guys discovered that man, however he’s a tank. I hit him with all the pieces and the kitchen sink, and he stayed on his ft and he saved throwing again. The dude hit me with some s***, and my face nonetheless hurts as we speak. However due to Dominick Cruz’s silly f****** commentary, I get to listen to, ‘It’s a sparring match and low quantity.’ … Because of this I watch fights with the quantity off. That is precisely why.”
A veteran of 42 professional fights, Curtis isn’t any stranger to spectacular knockouts, together with three in his 5 UFC wins, however he hasn’t put an opponent away inside the gap since December 2022. That stated, it was simply two fights previous to UFC 297 that he received a “Battle of the Night time” award in a loss to Kelvin Gastelum.
Somewhat than change up his type, Curtis welcomes Cruz to face throughout from him someday and get a hands-on expertise of what he has to supply within the putting division.
“You understand what?” Curtis stated. “I can’t win to avoid wasting my life. ‘Aw, he’s low output.’ I did greater than him and I threw extra punches on this combat than the Gastelum combat, which was applauded for the motion. I had 40, 90, then 100-something punches within the spherical. I’m identical to, I can’t make folks completely satisfied. It’s effective. I’m proud of myself. I did the issues I wished to do. I didn’t make the identical errors time and again and over. I’m completely satisfied. I can all the time do higher, certain, however I’m pleased with what I did and if the followers didn’t prefer it, I’m sorry. It’s a professional combat.
“However then once more, I laughed once I noticed folks speaking concerning the [Sean] Strickland-Dricus [du Plessis] combat. ‘They’re simply throwing sloppy punches’ and blah blah blah, so apparently Sean and Dricus are throwing large, sloppy, energy punches with no method, however in response to Dominick Cruz and now the web as a result of everybody simply latches on to commentators, ‘Aw, you’re simply sparring.’
“Dominick Cruz, stand right here Dominick Cruz, and let me hit you the best way I used to be hitting him and see if it’s simply sparring. No, we’re two giant, stable males. I promise you guys, I used to be hitting him f****** onerous, he was hitting me onerous, I really feel it for the reason that combat. [Cruz] is like, ‘It seems to be like sparring.’ I’m identical to, ‘Oh my God, the narrative is superb.’ So I’m pleased with myself, I’m very pleased with myself.”
