UFC middleweight contender Chris Curtis has no issue proclaiming his decision to turn down an offer to share the cage with Alex Pereira a number of years ago.
Pereira has carved a path of destruction to championship gold since debuting on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage in 2021, leaving a number of unconscious bodies in his way.
The former two-division Glory Kickboxing kingpin has repeated his multi-weight feat from the striking-only sport inside the cage, collecting both the middleweight and light heavyweight belts in the space of his first seven fights.
And 2024 marked his most violent year in the UFC to date, with “Poatan” recording three knockouts of Jamahal Hill, Ji?í Procházka, and Khalil Rountree to cement his grip on the 205-pound crown.
That run of results has only enhanced Pereira’s reputation as a feared knockout artist. And a middleweight fighter, for one, wanted no part of the Brazilian’s famed left hook.
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Curtis recalled giving the UFC a firm “no” when Pereira’s name was proposed to him back in 2022.
“I don’t usually say no unless your name’s Alex Pereira, then I’ve definitely said no,” Curtis said. “Outside of that, I’m just here to fight people. So whatever comes up, comes up. I just want to have fun fights.
“They offered me that fight before Bruno Silva, the Bruno Silva fight, or maybe it’s the one Sean (Strickland) took and they offered it to us first,” Curtis continued. “I was like, ‘F*ck no. I’m not fighting him on like, kind of short notice.’ I was like, ‘There’s no way.’ Because not only do I not want to fight him – I’m not doing it on short notice.”
Curtis, who was formerly ranked at 185 pounds, is set to kick off his 2025 campaign this weekend at the Apex. On the first UFC card of the year, “Action Man” will do battle with the highly regarded Roman Kopylov.
Pereira, meanwhile, is without a fight date in the calendar. While many expect him to face the challenge of Magomed Ankalaev next, “Poatan’s” most recent remarks saw him point to a different assignment.