Curtis, Hermansson Apologize For Awful UFC London Co-Main Event

Fight fans were disappointed in the performances by middleweights Jack Hermansson and Chris Curtis yesterday (Sat., July 23, 2022) at UFC London live on ESPN+ from inside O2 Arena in London, England, and the two fighters are here to apologize for their co-main event showdown.

Hermansson, who was originally expected to fight Darren Till in the co-headliner, ended up cruising to a unanimous decision win. “The Joker” kept his distance from Curtis to avoid his power shots and utilized an array of rangy strikes to capture a win on the scorecards. It wasn’t the most exciting middleweight fight and one that left an arena full of hungry U.K. fans wanting more.

Curtis, who accepted this fight on short notice, was visibly upset at how the fight played out in lackluster fashion. “Action Man” even flipped Hermansson off as he was walking to the back. Check it out below:

Hermansson, who said after the fight that he simply needed a win, discussed the co-main event matchup at UFC London’s post-fight press conference (watch HERE):

“I thought that we might have to do a different fight,” said Hermansson. “I knew that it was going to be hard to get Chris Curtis down on the ground. He has a really good sprawl and takedown defense. So I understood that I could work a little bit more from the outside in this one.”

“Joker” also talked about Curtis’ frustration with the way the middleweight bout was playing out.

“I think he got a little bit frustrated with me moving and moving and moving. I just tried to stay disciplined and stay to my plan. I could see the frustration in him,” Hermansson said.

Following the fight, Curtis was taunting Hermansson from running away the entire time and something slipped out of Hermansson’s mouth that he wishes he could take back.

“I can’t remember but he was like taunting me. Then something slipped from my tongue. I’m a little bit disappointed with myself there that I got caught up in that because I’m all about sportsmanship. I want the sport to be clean and after the fight we should be be good friends,” said Hermansson.

“So I really apologize to Chris Curtis for that.”

Curtis, who walked away with his first official UFC loss, cooled down after the UFC London co-headliner as well. “Action Man” took to social media to explain his performance and share a photo alongside Hermansson:

“Frustrating night for sure. Couldn’t get going. Just felt flat. Nobody ever wants to be the guy to admit it but it looks like tonight I choked. Couldn’t make the adjustments and let myself get frustrated. Sucks guys. Feels bad. But no injuries, no damage. A lot to learn.”

“Going forward. Wasn’t the fight I expected or wanted but from a technical standpoint he had the right game plan and I just wasn’t prepared or able to adjust. Frustrating to travel to the other side of the planet to fucking choke in your biggest moment.”

“But we knew this was a big risk going in. Sometimes you win big. And sometimes you are Goose and crash and burn horribly. Tonight was one of those nights. But the love and support from the Fans in London post fight has been great. Tonight I got to play the nail. Dems the breaks.”

“At the end of the day, as much as losing hurts, somebody had to and tonight was the Jokers night. Fighting is an emotional sport. Mine got the better of me tonight. I try to be a good guy but I’ve always had a temper. Now you guys know. Thanks for the support. Time to rebuild.”

For complete UFC London results and coverage click here.