Tag: Chris Curtis

Eric Nicksick Slams ‘Egomaniac’ Ref Who Stopped Chris Curtis Fight: ‘That Was Some B*tch Sh*t!’ 

Eric Nicksick was not happy with a call that was made in relation to one of his fighters at the first UFC event of the year. This past weekend at the Apex, Roman Kopylov and Chris Curtis earned the first fight of the night bonus of 2025 for their middleweight clash. In the final seconds […]

Eric Nicksick was not happy with a call that was made in relation to one of his fighters at the first UFC event of the year. This past weekend at the Apex, Roman Kopylov and Chris Curtis earned the first fight of the night bonus of 2025 for their middleweight clash.

In the final seconds of the back-and-forth battle, Kopylov took Curtis off his feet with a head kick which referee Mark Smith deemed was the end of the fight. He stepped into wave the fight off with just one second left on the clock and his decision was instantly scrutinized by both Curtis and his Xtreme Couture corner.

Whilst his opponent believes that it was the right call to make, the argument in favor of Curtis is that with the final bell about to sound and his opponent backing off rather than pursuing his opponent, “The Action Man” was in no sense of danger whatsoever. On a recent episode of his Verse Us podcast, Nicksick spoke about how he was frustrated with the referee long before the stoppage for not punishing several fouls which slowed the fight down.

”That’s what I’m pissed off about. You never get three timeouts in a f—king fight. So, number one, he spit his mouthpiece out. That wasn’t too bad. All right. Groin strike… Then the eye poke, and I calmly said to Mark, ‘Hey, that is two infractions in a row in this round. Where’s the point?”

Nicksick went on to talk specifically about the stoppage and goes further than that by talking about Smith’s personality and his issues with the prominent official.

”You [Smith] decided to stop the fight with one second left… Let the motherfu*ker go out on his shield bro. That was some b*tch sh*t, you didn’t have to stop the fight on that moment… He fraternizes with other gyms, teams, fighters, coaches and everything else… I think he’s an egomaniac. I mean, I’ve never heard a ref ask people to vote for him for the ‘MMA Ref of the Year.” 

Nicksick also posted the following statement on Instagram, addressing his reaction to the stoppage and apologizing for his actions.

Mark Smith Bashed by Fighter For Last-Second Chris Curtis Stoppage At UFC Vegas 101: ‘Got To Be The Lowest Graded Ref’

UFC Vegas 101 brought fight fans the first UFC card of 2025 and with that came the first set of highlight reel finishes, entertaining contests and yes, controversial refereeing decisions. The middleweight clash between Roman Kopylov and Chris Curtis earned the first fight of the night bonus of the year following their back-and-forth encounter on […]

UFC Vegas 101 brought fight fans the first UFC card of 2025 and with that came the first set of highlight reel finishes, entertaining contests and yes, controversial refereeing decisions. The middleweight clash between Roman Kopylov and Chris Curtis earned the first fight of the night bonus of the year following their back-and-forth encounter on the main card.

What the fight will likely be remembered for however is the call that Mark Smith made to wave the fight off with just one second left on the clock. Kopylov landed a head kick that knocked Curtis off balance but with the clock running down and his opponent on the floor, the Russian decided to back away rather than chasing his opponent to the ground to land more strikes.

Despite the fact that Curtis wasn’t in danger of taking any more damage, Smith stepped in and the stoppage was heavily disputed by “The Action Man” in the immediate aftermath. It’s also of note that the fight was tied at 19-19 across all three scorecards heading into the third round which would have been won by Kopylov if the fight had continued for one more second.

Curtis has since posted a statement on social media where he seemed less frustrated at the ending of the fight though he was still disappointed to have not secured the victory. Kopylov, on the other hand, believes that the official made the right decision, stating in his post-fight press conference that he chose not to follow-up with any more strikes because it wasn’t neccesary and that he’s open to the idea of a rematch if that’s what people want.

In a post on social media, UFC flyweight Charles Johnson criticized Smith by questioning the consistency of his decision making.

“Mark smith has got to be the lowest graded ref on roster. Constantly interjects himself and only thing consistent with calls is his inconsistency”

Some of the replies underneath Johnson’s post made reference to one of his previous fights which was refereed by Smith. In his fight with Sumudaerji last October, he believed that the fight should have been stopped but Smith didn’t step in and it ended up going the distance.

Chris Curtis Ponders His UFC Future In First Statement After KO Loss To Roman Kopylov

UFC middleweight Chris Curtis could be committing to a major change following his latest setback. Curtis was among the fighters tasked with kicking things off for the mixed martial arts leader in 2025, as he got his campaign for the year underway Saturday at the Apex in Las Vegas. After narrowly falling short in a […]

UFC middleweight Chris Curtis could be committing to a major change following his latest setback.

Curtis was among the fighters tasked with kicking things off for the mixed martial arts leader in 2025, as he got his campaign for the year underway Saturday at the Apex in Las Vegas.

After narrowly falling short in a main event rematch opposite Brendan Allen last April — and subsequently requiring a lengthy stint on the sidelines to heal from injuries — “Action Man” was looking to bounce back at the expense of Roman Kopylov.

He was unable to do so, however, with the Russian emerging victorious from a highly entertaining affair. The end came by way of a perfectly timed head kick that saw Curtis stopped with just one second remaining on the clock.

Though the American was furious with the stoppage and berated referee Mark Smith, the knockdown had no doubt sealed a certain decision victory for Kopylov had the scorecards been required.

That was seemingly acknowledged by Curtis, who made no mention or complaint of the finish during his first post-fight statement on Instagram. The 37-year-old instead spoke on his own failure to have his hand raised, and he admitted the result may have signaled the end of his journey at 185 pounds.

“Only job in the world where you can make 200k in a night and still be absolutely heartbroken and questioning where you go from here. No damage, I’m fine. Probably train tomorrow for my sanity but just frustrated and heartbroken. 8 months off. Hamstring tear, broken foot and then a calf tear. Trained through it all. Never lost sight of the goal. Just hurts to come up short. Thank you to everyone who reached out, have had a lot of love online and in person, it means the world to me. I guess I should take some comfort in fight of the night, but I only view tonight as a failure.

“Maybe 170 is the way to go from here. Rest this weekend and I guess we have a talk with the team and management about what comes next. It thanks again to @mickmaynard2 for the opportunity to do what I love. I’m not sure who or where I would be without this. Thank you to the @ufcpi , you guys put me back together 3 times this year. It was an incredibly hard road back, but @gav_pratt and @heatherlinden and their teams really went above and beyond for me, and I will never not be grateful for that. For now, thankfully, we are uninjured and healthy. We work on figuring out what comes next.”

The fact he took home an additional $50,000 for earning Fight of the Night honors was evidently of little consolation for Curtis, who now has just one win across his last five fights.

Curtis began his UFC career with a 3-0 run that included memorable knockouts of Phil Hawes and Allen.

Having subsequently failed to achieve similar consistency after breaking into the rankings, “Action Man” could return to the welterweight division, where he previously held a number of regional titles and fought at under the PFL banner.

‘Horrible Stoppage’ – Fans React As Roman Kopylov Head Kicks Chris Curtis For Controversial Buzzer-Beater At UFC Vegas 101

The first major fight controversy of 2025 has taken place at UFC Vegas 101 — the promotion’s first card of the year. And, of course, it had to involve Chris Curtis. In a jaw-dropping finish, “Action Man” was stopped by Roman Kopylov with just one second remaining in the contest. Both athletes brought fire in […]

The first major fight controversy of 2025 has taken place at UFC Vegas 101 — the promotion’s first card of the year. And, of course, it had to involve Chris Curtis.

In a jaw-dropping finish, “Action Man” was stopped by Roman Kopylov with just one second remaining in the contest.

Both athletes brought fire in their striking during the first round. The Russian seemed to have the upper hand, but Curtis appeared to be gaining momentum as time went on.

That stretched into the second, as the American continued his production, having landed over 100 significant strikes on his foe within the fight’s first 10 minutes.

Kopylov was not deterred and had his own surge of momentum in the third round. But just as everything seemed to be wrapped up with the judges to present the scores, the Russian landed a head kick that badly rocked Curtis.

Referee Marc Smith, with just one second remaining in the bout, stepped in and waved off the fight, giving Kopylov a victory via finish.

Roman Kopylov Controversially Finishes Chris Curtis With One Second Left At UFC Vegas 101

Kopylov has now won back-to-back fights and six of his last seven.

Curtis, meanwhile, has won just one of his last five fights.

‘Horrible Stoppage’ – Fans React As Roman Kopylov Head Kicks Chris Curtis For Controversial Buzzer-Beater At UFC Vegas 101

The first major fight controversy of 2025 has taken place at UFC Vegas 101 — the promotion’s first card of the year. And, of course, it had to involve Chris Curtis. In a jaw-dropping finish, “Action Man” was stopped by Roman Kopylov with just one second remaining in the contest. Both athletes brought fire in […]

The first major fight controversy of 2025 has taken place at UFC Vegas 101 — the promotion’s first card of the year. And, of course, it had to involve Chris Curtis.

In a jaw-dropping finish, “Action Man” was stopped by Roman Kopylov with just one second remaining in the contest.

Both athletes brought fire in their striking during the first round. The Russian seemed to have the upper hand, but Curtis appeared to be gaining momentum as time went on.

That stretched into the second, as the American continued his production, having landed over 100 significant strikes on his foe within the fight’s first 10 minutes.

Kopylov was not deterred and had his own surge of momentum in the third round. But just as everything seemed to be wrapped up with the judges to present the scores, the Russian landed a head kick that badly rocked Curtis.

Referee Marc Smith, with just one second remaining in the bout, stepped in and waved off the fight, giving Kopylov a victory via finish.

Roman Kopylov Controversially Finishes Chris Curtis With One Second Left At UFC Vegas 101

Kopylov has now won back-to-back fights and six of his last seven.

Curtis, meanwhile, has won just one of his last five fights.

UFC Middleweight Contender Recalls Turning Down Alex Pereira Fight In 2022: ‘I Was Like, F*ck No’

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 […]

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.