Tag: Chris Curtis

‘F*ck me’: Chris Curtis reveals Grade 3 hamstring tear suffered at UFC Fight Night 240

Middleweight Chris Curtis revealed bad news about his suspected hamstring injury from the UFC Fight Night 240 main event.

UFC middleweight [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag]’ fears have been confirmed.

At UFC Fight Night 240, Curtis (31-11 MMA, 5-3 UFC) dropped a split decision to Brendan Allen, but that was possibly the least of his concerns. Late in the bout, Curtis believed he tore his hamstring.

At the final horn, Curtis and Allen sat on the canvas next to each other,  Allen collecting his thoughts while Curtis grasped at his right hamstring in clear pain. After the announcement of the official decision, Curtis was placed on a stretcher to leave cageside.

Monday, Curtis, 36, received news that he feared: He completely tore his hamstring.

“Not the news I wanted…” Curtis wrote on X. “Grade 3 tear in my hamstring. Waiting on more info. F*ck me.”

Typical recovery for a Grade 3 (complete) hamstring tear could take anywhere from three to six months, including potential surgery.

It’s unfortunate news for Curtis, who likes to remain active. The UFC Fight Night 240 main event against Allen was Curtis’ second fight of the 2024, following a split decision win over Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 297.

“The Action Man” expects to learn more about his recovery process in the coming days.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Chris Curtis after UFC Fight Night 240 loss?

Chris Curtis could be looking at a tough road ahead despite a strong effort in his UFC Fight Night 240 main event loss to Brendan Allen.

(ALSO SEE: Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Brendan Allen after UFC Fight Night 240 win?)

[autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] not only suffered a heartbreaking loss to Brendan Allen at UFC Fight Night 240, but he was badly injured in the process.

At the tail-end of his split decision defeat to Allen (24-5 MMA, 12-2 UFC) in their middleweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Curtis (31-11 MMA, 5-3 UFC) seemingly tore his hamstring, resulting in him being taken from the octagon in a stretcher.

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Given his performance and the narrow nature of the result, Curtis’ stock likely doesn’t drop much. But a long recovery would be a tough blow for the 36-year-old.

What does the future hold for Curtis? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on his future after UFC Fight Night 240.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

Chris Curtis fears torn hamstring after UFC Fight Night 240 loss, tells Brendan Allen ‘you owe me the trilogy’

Chris Curtis thinks the judges ripped him off at UFC Fight Night 240 and wants a trilogy fight with Brendan Allen once healthy.

[autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] thought he was going to get the decision nod against Brendan Allen on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 240, but it didn’t work out in his favor.

To make matters worse, Curtis (31-11 MMA, 5-3 UFC) thinks he sustained a torn hamstring late in the split decision defeat to Allen (24-5 MMA, 12-2 UFC) in the middleweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Curtis stepped in as a replacement for Marvin Vettori on three weeks’ notice at UFC Fight Night 240 in a rematch of his December 2021 knockout of Allen. He showed again that he’s a tough matchup for “All In,” going five rounds and convincing one of the judges to score it in his favor. The other two didn’t, though, and Curtis came out with the loss.

He reflected on the result in a post-fight statement where he also addressed injury concerns. Curtis also said he hopes to get a trilogy fight with Allen down the line (via Instagram):

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5cboABxOFr/

Not the result we wanted, but it is what it is. I thought we had it, but congrats to @b_allen185. Love you brotha and enjoy the night. But remember, it’s 1-1, you owe me the trilogy lol. Rest up and enjoy your family. Thank you all for the support, and I’m sorry. I felt good, I was ready, maybe I’m just getting to old for this shit. Lol time will tell. Until next time guys.

Edit: btw guys, it looks like I tore my hamstring. Popped it in round 2 and we think it tore in round 5 at the end. We’ll find out on Monday after we get some scans. Thank you guys for the concern.

If Curtis’ worst fears come true, he could be looking at a lengthy absence from competition. A fully torn hamstring typically requires surgery, and the recovery window could last anywhere from three to six months.

At 36, it could be a career-altering situation for Curtis, but his spirits appeared rather high in the aftermath of the competitive bout with Allen, which multiple fighters deemed the Fight of the Year so far in 2024.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

UFC Fight Night 240 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: 2024 total passes $2 million

UFC Fight Night 240 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 240 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $162,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 240 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 240 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Chepe Mariscal[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Morgan Charriere[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Christos Giagos[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Charlie Campbell[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Trevor Peek[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Court McGee[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Lukasz Brzeski[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Valter Walker[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Norma Dumont[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Victor Hugo[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Pedro Falcao[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jean Matsumoto[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dan Argueta[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Cesar Almeida[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dylan Budka[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Nora Cornolle[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Melissa Mullins[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2401 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $2,005,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $24,742,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

UFC Fight Night 240 results: Brendan Allen ekes out win vs. Chris Curtis in momentum-shifting affair

After UFC Fight Night 240 main event, Chris Curtis was stretchered away from the cage after injuring his leg in the final seconds.

It wasn’t easy, but [autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag] got one back against [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag].

In the UFC Fight Night 240 main event, Allen (24-5 MMA, 12-2 UFC) defeated Curtis (31-11 MMA, 5-3 UFC) by split decision (47-48, 48-47, 49-46) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The fight was closely contested throughout and most took place in kickboxing range. Allen found some success with his grappling and submission attempts, but was unable to configure anything significant.

Curtis, even when outboxed in sequences, seemed to always rebound with bigger and harder shots. He hurt Allen on multiple occasions in the latter half of the fight. Allen hung tough, however, and ate what Curtis served up, including a big knee in Round 5.

In the final seconds, both fighters were exhausted. As they rose up from a scramble, Curtis appeared to suffer a right leg injury and was stretchered away from the cage following the reading of the official decision.

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The first fight between Curtis and Allen took place in December 2021. Curtis won that meeting by second-round TKO. The rematch Saturday was made on less than one month’s notice after Marvin Vettori withdrew from his scheduled bout vs. Allen.

With the victory, Allen has won seven fights in a row. He called for a title shot against middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis during his in-cage interview with commentator Michael Bisping.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 240 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

UFC Fight Night 240: Brendan Allen vs. Chris Curtis odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 240 odds between Brendan Allen vs. Chris Curtis, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 5-round middleweight bout in the main event, Brendan Allen and Chris Curtis meet Saturday at UFC Fight Night 240 (also known as UFC on ESPN+ 98 and UFC Vegas 90) at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC Fight Night 240: Allen vs. Curtis odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims begin at 3 p.m. ET, and can be viewed on ESPN+, while the main card starts at 6 p.m. ET, also on ESPN+.

Records: Allen (23-5-0) | Curtis (31-10-0)

Allen has picked up 6 consecutive victories, with 5 coming via submission. That includes a 3rd-round win against Paul Craig last time out in mid-November in the main event. He also submitted Andre Muniz in a Fight Night main event in Feb. 2023 with another 3rd-round win.

Curtis picked up a split-decision win over Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 297, bouncing back after a no-contest against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC 289. He has finished inside the distance just once in his past 5 fights, not including the Imavov bout.

Allen is 8 years younger than his counterpart, while Curtis has a slight half-inch reach advantage. Curtis also has a 5.96-to-3.87 significant strikes landed per minute advantage, although “All In” is much more accurate at 60.72% with those strikes, to 52.70% for Curtis.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC Fight Night 240: Allen vs. Curtis

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 4:20 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Allen -225 (bet $225 to win $100) | Curtis +180 (bet $100 to win $180)
  • Over/Under: 3.5 rounds (Over -110 | Under -120)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +150 | No -210)

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UFC Fight Night 240: Allen vs. Curtis picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

Allen (-225) will cost you a little more than 2 times your potential return, and that’s too risky on the 2-way line. Instead, let’s get a little more specific.

ALLEN BY SUBMISSION (+175) is the way to go, for a chance to nearly double up. He has been a submission machine since arriving at the UFC level, and really, all throughout his pro career. His go-to move is the rear-naked choke or the triangle choke while also scoring a win with a keylock.

Curtis (+180) will have to do everything in his power to avoid going to the canvas, or this thing will be over quickly.

Over/Under (O/U)

UNDER 3.5 ROUNDS (-120) is priced right, and it’s a strong play. He is going to work hard to get Curtis up against the fence as quickly as possible.

Curtis has ended inside the distance just once in the past 5 fights, not including the no contest, but he hasn’t faced a powerful wrestling force of Allen’s caliber.

Look for Allen to get the job done, and don’t be surprised if we see a choke-out in Rounds 1 or 2.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

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UFC free fight: Chris Curtis puts out Joaquin Buckley in brutal KO finish

Watch Chris Curtis knock out Joaquin Buckley in his last stoppage win ahead of his return at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 240.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] has proven he has stopping power.

Back at UFC 282 in 2022, Curtis (31-10 MMA, 5-2 UFC) reminded fans of the danger he poses when he took on knockout artist Joaquin Buckley. “The Action Man” put the lights out on Buckley as he dropped him with a brutal left hand in the second round of their contest and then followed up with a few extra shots to secure the win. It was a brutal finish that got Curtis a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

You can watch Curtis’ most recent KO win in the video above.

Curtis returns to the octagon this Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night 240, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He takes on Brendan Allen in a rematch that stems from a 2021 meeting that ended with Curtis stopping Allen (23-5 MMA, 11-2 UFC) by TKO in the second round.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

Chris Curtis would ‘rather fight than f*ck’ – and that’s why UFC Fight Night 240 rematch vs. Brendan Allen is happening

Chris Curtis had a plan to take a break from MMA to rebuild his body. Then the phone rang for a UFC main event rematch with Brendan Allen.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag] had a plan in place to take a break from MMA to rebuild his body. Then the phone rang.

After Marvin Vettori suffered an injury that forced him out of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 240 headliner with Brendan Allen (23-5 MMA, 11-2 UFC) at the UFC Apex (ESPN+), the promotion called Curtis (31-10 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and offered him a replacement opportunity.

“We were not supposed to fight,” Curtis told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “We had an agreement with caches. Like my strength coaches and everything else like, ‘OK, we’re going to stay at ’85 (and not drop to welterweight). We’re going to put on some weight.’ I’m walking around at 200 pounds and wanted to get to 210, put on muscle and be 210, be a little bit bigger. Then this happened. So I was like, ‘OK, we’re abandoning that plan, and we have a new plan.’ Here we are.”

Although Curtis vocalized his desire to get a main event fight at the UFC Apex in an interview with MMA Junkie Radio following his win over Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 297, he wasn’t expecting it to come so quick.

The UFC sweetened the pot for him to agree, too, so Curtis simply couldn’t say no.

“I deeply enjoy money,” Curtis said. “I will do awful, awful things for money, when you offer to pay me and I love to fight. I love to fight more than anything else. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: I’d rather fight than f*ck, honestly. This is what I do.”

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For Curtis, the rematch with Allen is a compelling opportunity. Curtis won the initial meeting at UFC on ESPN 31 in December 2021, storming Allen for a second-round TKO upset to win Performance of the Night honors.

Since that fight, Curtis is 3-2 with one no contest. Allen, meanwhile, has reeled off six consecutive victories – five by stoppage – to surge past Curtis in the rankings.

It would be significant for Curtis to repeat the feat this weekend, and he thinks getting this victory is more important for the trajectory of his career than it is for Allen’s.

“Brendan’s a dog,” Curtis said. “He’s done really well since we fought last time. Brendan’s 27. My god, I wish I was 27. At 27 years old, I can’t imagine the things he’s going to accomplish in this sport. He’s got 10 more years left in him at the earliest, so he’s going to accomplish big things, man. It’s going to be crazy. But this is a chance for me.

“I’ll be 37 this year. I don’t have time to do the slow way. I’m not going to have a 10-year career in the UFC. So, anytime I get those opportunities to see a number above mine and take it, I’ve got to take it. This is one of those times.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 240.

Chris Curtis replaces Marvin Vettori, rematches Brendan Allen at UFC Fight Night event on April 6

Chris Curtis steps in on short notice to fight Brendan Allen at a UFC Fight Night event on April 6.

[autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag] was not left without a dance partner as he will now meet a familiar opponent.

The UFC middleweight contender will now rematch [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag], who’s stepping in on short notice to replace Marvin Vettori in the main event of a UFC Fight Night scheduled for April 6 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Vettori suffered an injury and was forced to withdraw from the fight on Thursday.

The news was announced by the UFC, and also independently confirmed by MMA Junkie.

Allen (23-5 MMA, 11-2 UFC) looks to continue his winning streak, and improve it to seven in a row. He’s in his best career form, having submitted notable names such as Andre Muniz, Bruno Silva, and Paul Craig.

Allen’s last defeat came at the hands of Curtis (31-10 MMA, 5-2 UFC), who stopped him in the second round of their bout back in 2021.

Curtis, on the other hand, looks to build off his split decision win over Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 297 in January. Prior to that, he had fought Nassourdine Imavov to a no contest after an accidental headbutt, and then lost a decision to Kelvin Gastelum.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for the UFC Fight Night event April 6.

Nassourdine Imavov explains what triggered Chris Curtis spat, shuts down UFC rematch

Throughout the UFC Fight Night 235 main event, Nassourdine Imavov and Chris Curtis exchanged words. Here’s why.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] is not a fan of [autotag]Chris Curtis[/autotag]. The feelings seemingly are strong and mutual.

The UFC Fight Night 235 main event Saturday at the UFC Apex was filled with drama. A foul by Imavov (12-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) against grounded opponent Roman Dolidze (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) upset Curtis (31-10 MMA, 5-2 UFC), who was there to serve as a cornerman. The negative energy continued to spiral.

After Imavov beat Dolidze by majority decision, Curtis was seen giving the middle finger to the rival who just defeated his teammate.

Despite the extracurricular distractions, Imavov got the victory – but he wasn’t happy with it.

“I try to be as focused as I can,” Imavov told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “I try to stay focused on the cage, to stay calm, but sometimes my wild side can happen a little bit. I stayed as focused as I could be focused. I think it’s a lot because of the experience that I got into the cage with the years.”

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Imavov and Curtis fought at UFC 289 in June. The bout ended in a no contest due to a clash of heads, but a rivalry started at that same moment.

“I was upset because the guy, Chris Curtis, kept talking in every fight he’s cornering,” Imavov said. “He keeps talking to me. This is not his job as a cornerman to talk to the fight. When I went into the cage against him, it was very silent. He got dominated and he even quit the fight because of the head butt. I just want him to stop talking and let me fight.”

“… Roman is a real warrior. He kept fighting even though he could’ve stopped fighting. I have a lot of respect. Thank you so much, Roman, for that – as opposed to his cornerman, who is a quitter, like Chris Curtis.”

Following his victory, Imavov called out former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, another teammate of Curtis, during his in-cage interview with Daniel Cormier.

An Imavov vs. Curtis rematch seemed to sell itself to many fans online. Those with their fingers crossed for a grudge match in the immediate future will be let down, however, should Imavov have his way.

“I’m not at all interested by Chris Curtis,” Imavov said. “First of all, he’s so low on the rankings. Second of all, I did a masterclass against him. I just dominated him. He couldn’t do anything in the cage. But if he really wants to keep talking, I can go to his place, his gym, and we can do a real tough sparring session. I’m going to destroy him as I did in the cage.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 235.