Chris Curtis, UFC 297 Takeaways | UFC Unfiltered

Back home after filming with Dana White and Din Thomas in Toronto, Matt Serra returns to UFC Unfiltered for an episode that sees him and Jim Norton dish their UFC 297 takeaways; with middleweight Chris Curtis hopping on at the tail-end of the show!

Jim and Matt work from the top of Saturday’s card on down for a full-fledged recap of the card in Toronto — including Neil Magny’s epic comeback, Raquel Pennington’s women’s bantamweight title victory, and Sean Strickland’s close, split-decision loss to Dricus Du Plessis in the main event for the middleweight belt.

Fresh off a win over Marc-Andre Barriault on Saturday’s main card, Chris Curtis calls in to discuss what it was like fighting on the same card as his friend and teammate, Sean Strickland.

A veteran of the fight game at 36 years old, Curtis sheds light on his recovery process and how soon he feels he can turn around and accept another fight.

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#UFC #UFC297

Chris Curtis certainly finished strong I was like we’re going to sit there and hit each other and man that was fun chis action [Applause] back welcome to UFC unfilter please tell me that’s on video I’ve never been happier I’m made for a podcast we dang it listen to me we’re out of Here all right finally the team is reassembled Matt is uh is back it’s good to see you Matt um and a quick thank you John Morgan wow what an amazing job as co-host I mean just great wait what who whoa I mean you you were gone you were

Whoa whoa what are you looking for a new BFF no just when my when my friend leaves yeah to go with his better friends I when I was when I spent I spent a lot of time I was good catching up with Dana yeah catching up with Dana

Dean I spend most of the time with and let me tell you about that Dean Thomas he appreciates a good friend he’s a good man however I believe the other night he was wearing a sweater on uh television which made him look like a 5-year-old who stole his

Grandfather’s sweater um speaking of a five-year-old I get along very well with him and I’m a grown man and I like root beer I like root beer too it’s very good I like a diet root beer if you want the uh you want to get into the Weeds about

It I’m having a zero sugar one listen um let me ask you I know you don’t want to give away what you did but first of all a Toronto was freezing did you get to go to the fight and did you do anything really scary in Toronto scary yes especi and all I’ll

Say is especially if you’re afraid of heights that’s all I’m going to say it could be anything that’s all I’m saying uh you know even if you’re not afraid of heights if you’re up high enough you’d be kind of afraid that yeah Jimmy Jimmy when it comes out and you see it

You’re gonna you listen you’d be a little uh you know I think you’d be I don’t know if you’d be like was the boss with you on that one yeah I’m GNA g i I like to say no all right don’t give it away okay not gonna give it away but I’ll

Tell you this it’s gonna be a good episode of Dana White looking for a fight I thought of you all weekend I was like I wonder if they’re doing that I I was uh when did you come home I came home Saturday I got home before the

Fight started I watched them at my in-laws so you know why Toronto’s only uh an hour and a half away by by plane yeah quick flight from us and uh you know I got my wife getting ready for her fight she’s that’s funny so you know a

Fight’s a fight and I got to be somewhere and I got another kid Tommy getting ready too so you know I had to get home but I was there since Tuesday so y I enjoyed Toronto let me tell you Jimmy you know what I did when I was out there whether

Or whether or not it’ll be on the show well I’ll you know I’m not gonna tell you but I did do a cold plunge oh okay how long you oh you don’t yes I have I can last about eight seconds yeah I’m talking about the cold

Punch yeah oh okay oh no if I was talk about I would it would have been three and a half trust me I know the difference I’m three and a half and that’s with unzipping no I I it’s funny I saw uh Rogan and we were talking about

This I think off I don’t think I don’t if we were talking about on there or not but uh he said he does three minutes and it’s really hard every time like you never get used to it listen uh I’m going to talk more about

It in detail might be on the you know about how I handled it but me and Dean Thomas handled it completely different and I will tell you this it was I know it sounds idiotic to say but it was Jimmy it was cold were you indoors or Outdoors when you did it

I was at a nice this nice facility really cool facility where the sauner after was beautiful and uh they had these people like with towels and twirling and and and and and heating us having the Heat come at us from the stuff it was cool man listen in

General I had a good time I had a good time all week Jimmy I really did and uh let me ask you what you thought we might as well CH because we’re G have Chris Curtis sh yeah let’s go Chris had a uh a really great fight uh against Mark Andre

Bario I think it was 3027 on two cards 2928 on one and for some reason I remember thinking it should have been 2928 across the board but let’s start with the uh the main event um if if you don’t mind unless you don’t want to I’m

With you I just want to say about Chris Curtis you know he had a win over waim Buckley who’s you know got that highlight I love him yeah and he’s a a fan favorite so he gets a nice uh t uh KO win over him on the second round then

He drops one the gasoline and then Naser Dean he had that no contest with him yeah I believe from a headbutt if I’m correct but you can look into that uh producer please would him and it was a headbutt yes and uh so you know it’s a

Couple of tough ones in a row and it’s nice to get back on track the way uh taking out uh a Canadian in Canada and uh it was just I don’t know I thought it was uh it started off kind of like a feeling out period that first round and

The crowd wasn’t super behind them but by the end of the r fight they were they were they were behind them remembering this correctly yeah remember I didn’t get they like in the beginning like oh this might not they they kind both having a hard time finding their Rhythm that first round

And then as it went on it got just better and more heated and it was down to like who wanted it more type of thing yeah and one and Also Chris’s losses too recently uh to Gastelum and Hermanson both were decisions uh and both are such

Dangerous guys on the ground and he and he lost decisions so I mean it wasn’t like he was embarrassed since 2019 he’s only lost those two fights and they were both to really uh top level guys and they were decision so um what what did

You think Matt if you want to do the uh if you want to start with the main event or do you want to start with uh uh uh evov against uh Arnold Allen uh moar Ely off against Arnold Allen the opening fight tremendous fight by the way I like

That fight a lot I feel for Allen with that because he was doing so many things right you know what I mean he was defending so well for so and then you know I he was doing really well really good balance but uh you know he was he was he just kept coming

Forward like he was very mo mo how do you pronounce his name alv moar alv the first how do you pronounce first name moar moar mozar moar yeah moar was just you know he had he had his game plan he was sticking to it by any needs necessary and he’s you know he’s

Persistent I’ll give him that much yes oh and and he’s doing something right because Allen Allen’s not an easy guy to really dominate or else you know and get down and he was just very persistent uh I you know I enjoyed it I thought was I thought it was it was a

Very skill very am I remembering correctly to Matt I think it was at the end of the second and towards the end towards the ends of the rounds evlo have t took him down uh or really uh was able to wear on him if I’m remembering right

Again I’m getting old my memory is shitty um but for some reason I’m remembering the ends of the rounds were tough for Allen um yeah I mean you know why I mean he was just it’s persistence and he and again he wasn’t losing confidence he’s not he doesn’t what it’s like to lose

He’s undefeated mozar so yes thank you I mean I think when you got that kind of confidence behind you it’s just and he’s you know he’s a young in shape dude I mean mean I mean failed shots guys’s defending and being persistent like that that that’s a gas tank dude that

That’s but uh I always like watching Arnold Allen though that was me too and he’s he’s he’s uh is 18 and0 by the way who am I doing this for Neil Magny Neil magney holy that that really is wild because you know he was having a

Hard time dude he was losing he was absolutely down two nothing nice way he’s saying it he’s having but but that’s that’s not even knocking him he was losing badly and the veteran that’s what a veteran does against a guy who hasn’t been the distance uh or had the cage EXP you

Know we talk about fight IQ and and you know just experience like we talked about and that’s why he’s a problem man because and not only that like Neil Magny he could could have a hard couple of rounds he’s the type of guy that endurance wise and in shape he’s a as

Just big a threat yep down two rounds third round you know he’s he’s the last minute as the first minute of a fight yeah that’s dangerous he is because his gas tank he doesn’t he doesn’t change the pace you know what I mean so even when he doesn’t come in just guns

Blazing he has a persistent pace and it’s unrelenting yeah and uh man what a I love the mount position don’t you I mean it was unbelievable to just watch that happen what what he picked him how did uh he get him I don’t remember how he got him

Down did uh watch that sequence again get it I would love to um get that up L I think it was with 12 seconds left that the uh let me see 15 seconds left and he just had that low 15 seconds left meaning that before the fight was stopped and you could tell

That uh uh uh uh mot had zero in in his gas tank because he laid there all through the decision he was laying there breathing like that’s how I look after one minute of rolling he was just you could tell that he had never been that

Tired in a fight in his life and Magny just has a great gas tank unbeliev I can’t believe he pulled that fight out I tell this to my kid Tommy that’s that’s coming up like you know because he has great endurance endurance it’s another uh it’s another weapon in

Your Arsenal big weapon in that it could if you’re end durable good defense and you have good endurance and you could weather a storm like I tell my guys even during rolling don’t match a bow like a bowl let them put their foot on the gas you weather that you weather it you

Weather let them put that waste energy yeah lose your time so like Neil Magny just by weathering I mean let’s see this let’s see this yeah because uh yeah Mike is uh standing up there’s 232 go you do the play by play uh well it’s a little bit uh choppy uh Neil is

On his back and M looks like he’s a good he’s got grapes and he looks like he’s in a pretty good shape like he just wants to kind of Ride This Out stay on top mag’s using his legs to create distance he’s looking for angles by

Escaping his hips I like this look at he’s using underhooks to get up to a hip oh this is very nice yep very nice I love this underhook Escape look at this he gets out with an underhook one of my favorite ways of escaping just

Picks him up down and he just Boop his head pops right out when mil he tried 18 yeah yeah now let’s see how he gets mounted here 142 he puts weight on the legs see mot is going for a leg lock a lot of times with your legs when you go

For leg locks you’re pulling him on top of you you you like Magny when he was on bottom he used now he’s going for another leg lock instead of creating distance now he’s looking to create distance he’s looking so what is he doing now Rock CU mag he’s going for a

Decent sweep which just worked look the sweat he put him down but with the outside Ashi if you lose it you lose position which might not be a big deal in Rolling but if if Magie controls his head and sprawls back look which he’s doing now look now look at the position

He’s in yep like controlling his head now this is not a big deal when you’re rolling because it’s like all right you still got but in a fight this is Brut was there a chance Matt was there a chance for him to get up after he rolled

Was there a chance for him to get up or back out of the way no this is the problem here um yeah there’s always a chance for or anything but but the thing is this but but I mean did he make a bad decision by going for the leg lock where he should

Have just got up and got out of there he might get those leg lock reversals like all the time but when there’s the threat of strikes and you have use your legs are an obstacle to get past so I love the AI sweep I Ed the AI sweeper several times that same sweep

He went for now he’s with the length too with him mounted he could be there all day long that was brutal that and he did give him by the way uh I think it’s Mark Goddard he gave him plenty of time like he he really did

Give him time look at him breathing like that that’s brutal that’s brutal it was just he ran out of guess Jimmy there’s there’s a drill I want you to ask um Professor Mike yes Jedi Mike Mike Jay yeah Jedi Mike Jay I want you to ask him

About a drill where you put your hands in your belt and he just goes to walk past you and then you bring your foot to the outside you sideways on his thigh and you use that to square up with him wait can you explain that again hands on his Bell I’m

Sorry what do you mean words he’s gonna go to walk around your guard and you’re not using your hands you’re just using your feet you’re gonna step on his thigh and square up with him then he’s gonna go to walk past your legs the other way

And when he goes to come in you put your foot sideways on his leg you use your foot to square up with him he comes in the middle you put your heels and Toes out on his hips you push away he gets past that you put your knees together you

Come up on your shoulders so in other words you use your legs only your legs yeah as an obstacle always keeping him away and squaring up with you he has to get past your legs to do damage to you or do more damage to you so you just use

Your legs to keep him away to keep ask Mike he’ll let you know he’ll do it with you it’s a great drill and you use your legs like you have another pair of hands it’s good for guard retention it could be a guard retention drill it’s also

Called that so I like that because then you got to use your hands your feet like another pair of hands and you keep him at Bay so and it’s also good you comes down to a fight at distance management managing your distance if you don’t just

Like in a standup if you how about this CH sonin perfect example and he’s not even a Jiu-Jitsu guy he’s a Grappler but he’s also a very smart not only MMA fighter street fighter okay he’s got a very good sense now CH sonen was on this uh film

The Ultimate Fighter of Brazil with in he’s got balls CH he’s in Brazil going versus vandelay Silva yeah who’s I I like Vander Le personally but he’s a bit of a psycho you know in a good way I like it but you know he’s he’s he’s more of a streak guy

Like he has a problem with you he’s gonna go all J Mazel on you you understand he will yeah oh 100% And he did so I don’t know if you’ve seen this clip yes you seen the clip I’m talking about CH take him down if I remember

Right yeah because he started getting in Cha’s face now there’s a certain point where I don’t care how quick you are you could be sucker punched yes so when they’re right in your face CH at one point pushed him back he goes he he touched the first he goes I can’t let

You get close and then he put his hands up because he knew yeah get smacked he can’t let him get close he created distance and then when he went to come take his head off he closed the distance I mean vand he closed the Distance by

Going to hit him he lowered his level took him down and then basically got jumped until it got broken up but yeah I don’t know distance management is huge both standing up and on the floor this is not like what it’s like having a podcast with an add partner no it’s

Interesting though Wednesday by the way thank you Jake uh and we should move on to the comain but Wednesday we do have Neil Magny booked so I will save my Standing Ovation for Neil Magny then cuz Matt you know I’ve babbled endlessly on this show about how much I love matchups

Like that and I love when a guy with a lot of uh cage experience and a guy with a really high fight IQ figures out a way to stop somebody who has pretty much seemed fairly Unstoppable um who makes the mistake that the veteran wouldn’t have made and I don’t think

That Neil would have let himself get that tired uh and be basically defenseless at the end because I think that was a big part of it is he was so tired he was defenseless um and I certainly understand how shitty that feels what did you think about uh

Uh Pennington against uh my Bueno Silva in the comain for the vacant bantamweight Championship Pennington was very frustrated even though she won the fight because her hands look great she was striking so well and even her Corner was talking about it and the I think it was DC and and Cruiser she

Wouldn’t stop grabbing Silva and there was times where she had to and then there other times I’m like what is she doing like she was striking so well and she’s insisting on pressing her up against the defense you know she’s a bit of a Grappler too though I mean she’s putting

Girls down and taking them out on the floor so it could just be instinctual by now you know what I mean it might not even be in the camp it might just be like you’re fighting and it’s right there yeah so going to like you

Know you know you go into just the way you’ve been fighting for a decade you know what I mean so she normally does that she pushes people up against the cage and works them up against that cage it’s not like anything new for her but she was having such success striking and

Bueno Silva has an advantage on the floor and her she was so good her striking was so good and I’m like what is she doing like it it was working really well yeah wasn’t a bar burner you know what I mean no no no but she looked

Good when she was striking she looked good and this is only going to give her more confidence she could be nothing but happy for her yeah and still ain’t the lastest we’ve seen of Silva Silva’s a beast young yeah you know she’s young and she’s been having great success she

Beat a lot of good girls so I want to see how she handles this loss I’m sure she’s going to come back strong now sure you know I she’s she’s with a good team uh the American top team and and uh I saw a little Pera I say little he’s my

Height I could say I get away with sure yeah because you’re a little fell like you calling somebody a homo yeah which I do they’re gonna take that out no they shouldn’t I know they I love you it’s funny to me and I yell at sometimes I realize I’m in a Mirror the main event um a lot to say about that I I have to say uh really good fight I I thought they got it right with dupi but I if they had given it to Strickland I would have been fine with it too I thought it was that good of a

Fight and that close I did think dupi eak him out a little bit but I I I would have been okay if Strickland had gotten the decision but I I thought it was a fair decision I got a couple things on the other couple fights on the other

Card I want to talk about do don’t let me forget because I sure sure okay uh when it wait now listen you hear coach Eric nixi talk about Optics yes now what he’s meaning is what I feel maybe I’ll I’m looking into it differently but I feel Shan was

Landing better especially with that jab it’s it’s like a Larry Holmes jab yeah it’s awesome but you add a takedown in it looks cool and even though I believe in every Tak down he got I don’t think there was a punch thrown on the floor was there he

Was right back he looked like a robot getting up is effortless yeah so he got right back up so how much do you really score that takedown now this guy outscored him with the Striking the whole round even if it was you know close but that that takedown makes the

Biggest difference even if he did nothing with it so how is that you know I but listen at the same time it was that close yeah I didn’t care about the takedowns by way you’re right make an argument what’s that I didn’t care about the takedowns I it was that didn’t

Influence my decision I just over the overall fight I was like I think he he just kind of squeezed by him who do you think who did you think won dupi but I I I was so unsure that if they had nodded Strickland I would have been like yeah

Okay cool like I didn’t have any emotion in it I I thought it was super close I was I I you know I was wondering how much they would put on those takedowns and I thought that’s really what determined it because I I thought Schwan actually won but okay but it was

Six takes Downs in an overall and and he’s very hard to take down you know what I want I’m sorry only two minutes and 8 Seconds a control to Strickland is hard to take down like dupi took him down I think more than he’s been taken

Down in his whole what I want to know is how many strikes was on the floor how many times did he get hit on the floor did he get hit at all on the floor yeah did he get he had six takedowns did he have one strike off those takedowns I

Don’t know I I I don’t remember that happening I remember Shan I him think he was trying to control sha and then he got right up you know unless I’m missing something no he did plus I missed some punches down there so I was very impressed with that like I think SE was

Very up but but listen but you know uh dras you know he stayed the stayed the course you know he was throwing those kicks up to the head he did some nice body shots and but Strickland checked almost every kick in the first almost the first two rounds and then he

Stopped throwing that t kick up the middle which I’m not sure why he stopped they pointed out that he stopped throwing that it was working like a jab for him then maybe there was a reason maybe there was something he maybe the takedown threat stopped him I don’t know

Why he stopped throwing that I don’t know man I just thought that uh I thought that he you know he fought the whole time and uh and he listen that I think sha strick is the type of guy that if there was no rounds he’d still be fighting like you know

What I mean like he’s just like he lost the belt did he really lose did he really he didn’t lose I mean it was very close it was very it was super close that you can make an argument either way and I think either guy can’t complain

About it you know what I mean what do you think let me ask you too there was um oh what do you think because because Strickland against adna he was pressing him he was moving forward moving forward moving and imposing his will and then dupi just didn’t allow that like he just

Kept what would what would the way for Strickland have been to have pushed dupi back and done that to him what he did to adna why wasn’t he able to impose that on on draus I mean I think well draus was coming back with some heat it’s not

And he and he was going forward like he was he was coming like he was he’s a bull and he’s very powerful man some of those things he was winging I’m sure I’m sure Sean felt that going by his face the win dude you know he was coming

Back with some heat on him whether he landed or not where they you could check one of those kicks just that dude that vibration should be I mean draus was committing and he throws some unorthodox and if you rush right back in there’s back fist coming you know

You saw those coming out of nowhere it was listen it was fun it keeps it kept you on the edge of your seat like what’s going on Matt this is and again everything is not just significant strikes there’s a lot of other things and I and I do think the fact that he

Was pressing a lot of the action and moving forward really work in his favor this is how close it was overall now the first round I think rounds one and three were the were the biggest discrepancies first round uh let’s just say uh I’m not going to go through the whole thing but

Uh Strickland landed 34 punches which was 45% uh draus landed 18 punches which was 35% that was a clear decisive Strickland round round two uh Strickland landed 22 punches uh significant strikes draus landed 26 35% 43% uh 35% to 34% in favor of Strickland in round three a 1% difference 39% to

38% in favor of uh dupi in round four like they were that close and this is what was surprising round five uh 53 out of 99 to 35 out of 86 very in favor of Strickland so maybe Strickland actually did win that fight um and maybe

It was the it was the uh pressing forward that got Dy the not I don’t know hey man he he ended strong he ended strong he did oh yeah that was a great great end of the fifth round for I think I gave him that round I don’t remember

Hey man let me tell first of all did you hear like the little bit of the mix hat you know what we yes but I I didn’t I mean Bruce didn’t make a mistake it was it was uh but the way he said Sean it almost sounded like Charles it

Sounded like C Sean it almost sounded like he was about to say Charles or was he just being theatrical like can we hear that it sounds like he’s about to say let’s hear it let’s hear it maybe he was going to say Charles jordane but he did go Sean

And I I heard it very clearly that Shawn Woodson won the fight and I was like what the is I didn’t hear it no I I thought he said Charles oh no then I heard he said the sniper and then I’m like wait a minute Char I think he sound

Like oh maybe he up the first name but what in Jord sound again when I heard it again it was Shan yeah did the ref raise the wrong hand no no I was just thinking boy what a good sport jordane is he was and cheering and I was

Like wow what a sore loser yes this guy’s a very I mean a good a good loser this guy’s very gracious that was confusing do we please play that play that I wasn’t I wasn’t confused no I was other than Woodson who thought he couldn’t hear the announcement he saw Jordan celebrating

He like all right I guess I lost it’s funny imagine he’s try to imagine he interviewed him and go are you going to play that for us it’s a bit of a CH watch a bit of a CH ladies and gentlemen after three rounds we go to the judges

Score cards for a decision Patricia vmir scores the contest 29 28 jordane Derek clearly scores the contest 2928 Woodson here we go and Dean Woods scores the contest 29-28 for the winner by Split Decision Sean the sniper [Applause] w Woodson it doesn’t it sounds like Sean

But at the end you won look at this doesn’t sound like chars the CHR a little bit but that’s it I feel Sean Woodson won the fight oh now Jord did that’s when I first realized he didn’t know he lost he said Sean Woods yeah I thought Sean Woodson should

Have won that fight that’s so weird it sounds like Charles but it was Sean Woodson no I thought Woodson should I thought that was the right decision ah dude I thought uh I listen yeah yeah no it was you know he’s a hard guy to fight

Sean Woodson aank like a big like big longle spider you know can I because of that one more thing mat about the main event before I forget and this is why I love Strickland because after that fight uh he was very honest he goes I thought I

won maybe I was being a but he said hey congrats champ like he just said congratulation like he wasn’t a baby about it like other people when they lose I thought I won that like took a headbutt too also I don’t if you know that I did not know no

Um but but the way he handled it was like yeah he he took it he lost and he and he just he said hey congrats man and I don’t know you just how do you not like Sean Strickland I don’t know how anybody doesn’t like Sean Strickland man

No I think a lot I think he’s and he had a big fan base over there I’ll tell you that much he did yeah outside the hotel it’s funny uh listen uh he you know what it is he’s going to do well regardless he’s gonna be one of those

Like the Diaz brothers type guys where he’s win or lose guys are gonna want to see him fight yes Jimmy and I know you love Jillian Robertson Jillian Robinson man holy shoot language let’s give props to Dean Thomas man he’s long trainer um and the rest of the team that’s behind

She fought Pana via yeah and Pana is dangerous but man Jillian Robinson Jillian Robinson Jillian Robinson don’t smile at me like no no you almost got it Sor stop don’t tease me I’m helping you she harju Jitsu is so it’s so she’s so positionally dominant and she’s patient well who are you

Talking about Jillian Robinson let’s call the whole thing thank you Jimmy oh Jimmy good news what’s up buddy I got in I got invited from our old friend Joe Rogan to come back on his show oh very nice with my same buddies and now that’ll be happening uh sometime

In the next month or so oh that’s great well you guys were around like four or five months ago right that was awesome yes I think that’s nice you know I I love Joe you know and and I what a good time I had last time yeah so we got that

To look forward to but Jullian Robinson I was just impressed you know because she she was just just she made it kind of look easy you know all did was kind of slow her down a little bit excuse me buddy that was me how old is Chris 36

Yep right listen he’s doing well though he looks good yes he is he looked great I always think of him whenever I watch Chris Curtis fight because we talked about like literally from my my uh little minuscule work in Muay Thai and the moving around and my jab is by

The way um the the the kind of going left and right makes me dizzy like I I get really bad motion sick and he said he has kind of the same thing and he’s figured out ways to do that so guys just can’t make him circle around the cage

And gain an advantage I think of that every time I watch him fight now speaking of emo motion sickness you know it reminds me of you and the metaverse so I’m going through the customs and the guy’s like man what is this I go a that’s the metaverse I go you gota

What do you know about that you gotta check that he goes what and he goes hey Rob or whatever the guy’s name is the metaverse the guy’s like oh he came over like yeah guys get with it showing them telling them about it did you use it at all when you were there

Oh yes crazy keeps me out of trouble yeah I guess so right oh look look who’s in the waiting room the action yes the action man let’s bring him in turis bring him In there we go technology hey Chris how are you first of all congratulations second of all I you don’t look like you’ve been in a fight and third of all I want that tank top all right thank you well thanks first of all second I feel like I got hit by a

Small bus small Canadian bus I have the weirdest collection of tank tops so uh really nice listen I’m not the flesh I couldn’t even I couldn’t even run you know fast at all I can’t even spr I can’t even jog but that’s a nice tank to thank you and I’m

Like a mild like I’m not a fast land animal like I’m I’m designed to get there eventually I don’t run fast like know but that that still looks cool hey man we had a we had a couple we had a couple of bumps in roads that you took

Out waim Buckley which was phenomenal and isn’t it doesn’t it listen I’ve had even though the the other one you had the uh The Accidental headbutt there you know I’ve had a couple losses in the row I know what it’s like to get back in that on track how great does it feel

No man it’s the uh the stress of like not performing is crazy man like I I was so hard on myself during camp and everything so it’s just nice to like okay like I still know how to win I can still do it it’s it’s man like the

Weight that comes off of you like once you like I don’t know what’s going on why things are going so sideways it makes life miserable I’ve been stressed out all Camp so it was nice to kind of get out there get a wi and like Breathe

Again do you start to look for like I don’t know are you a superstitious person do you start to look for like you know a lot of guys fall into rituals and all this stuff is there anything you start to look of that’s outside of the actual what you’re doing in the

Gym uh no man like for me like it’s it all comes down to just like what is my sport performance like what’s my training for this Camp a lot we had to focus on like my mental well our mental health like I dude Jason Manley one my friend says uh

No one my biggest hater is me he say Chris Curtis’s biggest hater is Chris Curtis like I’m so hard on myself all the time so I was trying to give myself a little uh a little credit this Camp little leeway it’s a it’s a work in

Progress but no man it’s not so much rituals I’m just like man I am I’m aware that I’m cursed and you just gotta be able to work through it like sometimes like man the fight gods are not kind yeah but sometimes that’s not a bad

Thing because I always had I feel I had that too where I’m not going to say it’s insecurity but it’s more of like oh man I shouldn’t have got my pebt so soon or I shouldn’t I didn’t deserve that or even though I probably did but you know

What I mean like or I don’t know after every Spar and I’m thinking of what I did wrong instead of what I did right and I’m a posit I’m a positive guy but it makes you try that much harder no yeah but the issue so here’s the thing

Like check it out sorry getting after fight sickness which is always fun but um like seriously I Spar I sparred every sparring session this Camp I thought I lost at the end of the at did the rounds I’m just like I’m losing you know what’s going on so we started

Filming all of my sparing because my coaches got tired of arguing so they’re just like watch the video I go back watch the video I’m winning the rounds but in my head I’m winning I’m losing every single round of every single Spar you know what know what that reminds me

Of sometimes after a fight when you see a fighter who’s not you you clearly thought he won but maybe he is not as adamant about it as maybe you are like the audience because being I was in there I remember being like thinking not what I would do but every time I got

Touched and I’m like oh that must have looked horrible meanwhile it was probably no big deal and in your mind that’s what you’re thinking of I know what that’s like Dude I got after the fight because I’m sitting here like I’m not people were like you don’t like you

Just want to fight I’m not celebrating I’m going back over through like highlights and whatnot seeing what went wrong like where I made mistakes where the problems were people like you fought an hour ago and like you’re not even like happy about it like you’re not celebrating you’re trying to figure out

What went wrong people were like so I got Reed about that like Let It Go like enjoy it so I’m trying to learn to like back away but within an hour I was looking through footage figuring out what happened what is the hard part of like I’m weird like that too for in

Different things where if somebody tells you oh no you’re doing fine and I’m kind of beating the out of myself like I’m like you don’t understand like it annoys me when people try to comfort me and go no but because I’m like you just don’t get it like I’m criticizing

Someone who really deserves criticism and you don’t quite understand it it’s it’s exactly it man so I’ve uh all my friends and teammates so youit say you’re your biggest hater and I am the there’s no one out there I realized it’s going to be harder on me than me I am

Like everybody says a cliche but like no like I don’t give myself a single bit of credit every time anything isn’t perfect I hold it against myself so like this Camp is especially one of the big things everyone’s saying is it doesn’t have to be pretty it doesn’t have to be perfect

Like perfect is the enemy of good just go fight I know how to fight I’ve been fighting for 15 years I got 40 something fights the entire message just Camp has been like stop trying to be perfect stop thinking about it stop trying to make it

Pretty just go fight go be you don’t be anybody else like ignore the noise and people saying he does this bad this bad this bad he’s got to do this just go out there and fight and that’s that’s been the big message to SC hey how how was

How scary is that knee coming up I mean being a guy 56 whenever they throw that that could keep you at Bay when like you know I know what that shit’s like and they don’t even have to lift it up that high for me so when I

See those these come up in fights I go man holy I get flashbacks of Pete Sprat coming right by my face um right everybody ask everybody’s like coming from like boxing I I tend to a lot of my movement still boxing roles so watch even the fight there’s a few times

I’m like rolling and I mean like it’s I can feel them like scrape my face with me and people like what are you doing and I’m like I think I’ve just done it for so long I don’t want to change it but man there are some of those where

Like your Titans like could crush diamonds you’re like oh my God there’s one I thre a body shot roll and pulled back and I was just like I’ve been here too long and I saw his like I watched his knee like come up in front of me and I’m

Like well that could have sucked oh it’s terrifying it’s absolutely terrifying man like luckily uh I’m really confident my vision and like just top of like you know like you get good vision and kind of getting a timing for when these things are coming and I’ll be the first

One to say man like as much as bad as my luck is sometimes and some I have the luck of the Gods man cuz like there’s sometimes just like wh that killed me but didn’t but yeah it’s terrifying right like you’re the shortest guy in the div I’m the shortest

Guy in the division so I’m just say well here’s hoping I don’t die hey man I it was so funny because I was with my buddy Dean Thomas over the weekend I was there I was in Toronto and uh I brought a fight up I fought this guy for Pete

Sprout I’m sure you heard of that guy he’s an OG the weapon I shot in he threw a KNE I go de do you realize how when I say I’m lucky it’s not because I’m not I wasn’t I don’t think I’m a good fighter I’m saying like with that fight would

Pete if it was a quarter of the inch to the left dude I’m decapitated I’m not he’s sitting here with you not me so it’s just crazy bro true really luck you know when I’m teaching or I’m talking to people they ask about head movement like oh how do you know like

When to move I don’t really know when to move it is all like instinctual guessing because there are some times when happens where I’m like like it’s great people like oh that was so smooth like bro let me tell you like that I didn’t do it intentionally I am just trying not

To die and like you’re right there’s like centimeters in like half seconds where you’re like if I made if I reacted just randomly a half second slower or I went left instead of right I’d be like probably dead right now like with head trauma like oh it’s constant state of

Like man I hope I don’t it’s that constant state when I’m fighting especially in close that I’m hoping I don’t wake up talking to the doctor I’m like man this is risky yeah the disorientation uh the guy like it’s weird to read the lip of the guy going

You’re okay you’re okay to watch a guy waking up after getting knocked out and just see what what do they normally have to say to somebody to get them is it different for every fighter or is there like a standard oh it’s it’s it’s great everybody’s different man like I’ve

Woken up once and I’m like what are you doing in my house like here in the cage what are you doing in my cage like no man you wake up it’s weird man like everybody’s different but like you could everybody you know handles being knocked down differently I’ve seen a few guys

Come to and just go back to what they were doing it’s like some guys get the fact you that’s just like lost time some guys get factory reset you get knocked out and you’re just like I lost a week of my life so it’s it’s it’s different

For everybody but man nothing worse than you’re waking this happened once you wake up talking to the doctor you’re like oh I didn’t win like yeah and the one time you know you lost you’re like oh I did not win when you wake up and

You when you all of a sudden see the doctor you’re like all right this is this is not a congratulations yeah what did you think of uh obviously very very close fight between Shawn and draus dupi a really great fight um what what did you think and I was asking Matt

Too like Shawn is so good at pressing forward and and at kind of dictating the pace what do you think dupi did right which kind of prevented him from doing that uh I think just the way he throws is weird so it’s funny because somebody ask I saw somebody talking about me and

Sean actually and we both tend to like Philly shell a lot but the way we use it is different because like the way I I tend to roll more and the way I am I’m better at looping shots and avoiding looping shots because Sean Perry is more he’s better

At straight shots the thing is driz throws such wide looping shots as he’s falling forward it’s kind of hard to like Parry that and time it correctly when drus just starts falling forward I think I kind of like with Sean it kept on his back foot because you can’t

Really r risk like lifting that front foot up or stepping forward because the guys I mean at one point his head down he’s throwing Left Right stepping through then he like runs into a double and you’re like this isn’t something anyone trains it’s

Just I said once I said it once I say it again Dr is like it’s he creates circuses when he fights and like it’s it’s just really hard to that’s one of those fight it’s really hard to train for until you’ve done it I think uh going back now it’d be more comfortable

Because you’re aware what it’s like but I mean no disrespect to drus at all like he did a good job he’s a hell of a fighter but I think everybody sea trained for was too clean right we trained with was too clean like with like I think looking

Back at it like the level of comfort against a solid technical guy is different than the level of comfort against somebody who’s just here like you know like welcome to the circus so you know it’s it’s it’s just one of those things why do you think he

Stopped uh throwing the T kick cuz that was working really well and then he just kind of got do do you think it was uh the threat of the takedown or or was it those looping punches I don’t know man um we I watched the fight we talked a

Little about it we haven’t gone into detail you know everything’s still Fresh So something we’ll talk about later uh it was cool being on the same card this is one of the reasons why I said earlier I kind of dislike being on the same card because I really would have loved to be

In this corner because I feel like I worked really well with Sean and that yeah there’s lot not a lot of the times you tell Shan to do things in the corner he’s going to ignore you but I feel like when fights get hard like he trusts me

Enough to like you know the same thing with the amov and the abose fights where he’ll listen like he he knows that I I spent so much time watching all the Dr stuff he knows that I you know I I am a student of like the game just to film I

Study so I think I think he trusts me enough so I kind of hate that I couldn’t have been there to offer something but uh I know we’ll talk about it we’ll see well what’s what about you what’s next now man I mean any any names that

On the tip of your tongue it’s great to be back in the getting in the win win column and how soon do you want to get back in oh man they were asking about February and I was like they’re like February and my coach looked up like no

Like absolutely not that’s true um dude I I I would I I would have loved to do it but I’m I’m having to realize now that at this level and like the way I approach camp and whatnot like you know I’m 36 I’m not I’m not a kid anymore

Takes me a little bit more time to like I can be ready but mentally I think it’s the biggest thing is I stress myself out I burn myself out and uh I think EV when I first started first got to UFC I really wanted to make the

Fans happy and like do stuff for them but now I’m realizing like hey the fans that actually care about you or just happy when you fight and go out there and I’m not going to make everyone happy like you know no matter how I fight what

I do there’s always going to be fans like you suck or you did this wrong so I’m not trying to spend all my time or energy thinking about their fans and like doing things for the fans like um just kind of get back for fighting for

Me and the fans that love it like you know I’m glad they love they appreciate it I’m glad they do and I’ll keep fighting for you but I’m not going to put myself out there anymore and let you know take risks for my career for people

That you don’t perform you take a risk you don’t perform they turn on you it’s just not worth it to me so uh I’m gonna wait I’m gonna hang out rest up recover take some time uh hang out with the family and the newborn and just kind of

Chill like you know there’s I’ve got no rush uh I made a bunch of money I can kind of take my time and uh I’m thinking even for me the rest and Recovery I was talking I was like you know may sound you know may sounds pretty good so maybe

Around May June at the latest I don’t like waiting around that long but uh I don’t know as far as that what’s next like tips of Nam tip the tongue I have no idea who’s this division uh we’ll see what Jack and fer do this week uh this weekend I guess next

Weekend or we talked before about dropping back down to 70 because I am the smallest dude in this Division and it’s just a pain in the ass so um I think next week this week or next week we’ll talk to the pi we’ll do the scans

See uh you know if it’s even feasible for me to make 70 anymore I’m 36 I haven’t done 70 in three years I think so that’s not really we’ll see how that looks so you know we got some uh things to think about but I don’t know I’m in

Good spirits I’m in a good place so we no no rush we’ll see you should be man you really should be after that performance versus a very tough opponent and lastly let me ask you because when I started getting to like 35 and again I was still knocking out guys like Frank

Trigger 35 so I’m not saying that’s old at all uh 36 I was having a I was banging out with liol but then I start getting questions from these people it annoyed me so I’m gonna annoy you a little bit oh so what about when this is over

Because you know I mean 35 36 when it is finally over listen you could be one of those guys fighting another 10 years I’m not saying I’m not putting a clock on you but when it is finally done Chris what are you thinking about are are you

Gonna be involved with this are you g be like a guy like me teaching some arm locks what are you gonna do are you gonna get into something else do you have any plans that’s always the scary somebody asked me the other day and I said it’s the scariest question to ask

Like a fighter in it’s mid 30s what you do with it’s over like bro I I don’t I don’t really know like it’s a I always say I put all my points in the unarmed combat like I’m not really sure like what else comes next like so uh I don’t

Know like I for me I’m probably not gonna I’m probably not gonna like be a coach or a teacher it’s just not I can do it it’s I don’t know I don’t think it’s where my really my heart is I don’t know like I guess I’ll

Always be there to help out my friends and whatnot but I I don’t want to open the gym I don’t want to teach um uh I think my passion outside of this when it’s all said and done I’m going to devote myself more full-time to like writing like I love to write that’s

interesting why did we start with this what do you mean you’re writing what do what do you write you write mov uh fiction uh right now we’re a couple novels uh couple sci-fi couple sci-fi fantasy novels I love it right man since I was a little kid all you

Know I make worlds in my head all the time people are always like why are you like oh so SP like I’m probably just like you know like trying to figure out well why people in goblins can’t get along in most situations because like whatever so I’m always building worlds

In my head so I write a lot I’ve got uh I write I try to write consistently I do write a lot so that’s probably when it’s all said and done uh I’ll rest my brain a little bit and uh I’ll put it towards designing fantasy violence instead of

Real violence Chris are you are you good sorry about are you good at making yourself sit down and write cuz I like to write too but I find the discipline of sitting there and going I’m going to do this for an hour or two I get too distracted are you good at shutting

Everything else off uh it’s it’s hard it’s very hard because it’s I say anyone who’s writing a book’s not really writing you’re kind of just like looking at paper and like writing things about the book but not the book uh one of my good friends sheno she’s uh she got me

Into what helps is you give instead of giving yourself a time limit never yourself a time limit time limit suck give yourself a word limit for the day yeah so when I’m ready to sit down give myself a okay like today like are you starting out if you’re not you haven’t

Got the discipline yet say I’m going to write 200 words today and 200 words after a week or two weeks becomes easy so you say okay I’m gonna write 500 words today yeah and do that and that that that’s way easier than I’m gonna write for two hours because like for me

I don’t like riding at home I’m a coffee shop guy like I’ll go to like a diner or a coffee shop I’ll get a a plate of fries and a coffee and that that’s my office like yeah right there you know why because there’s a good amount of distraction

But it’s it’s background noise distraction whereas it’s not just home with the curtains and quiet but it’s not the you can’t watch porn when you’re in a coffee shop dude I sleep listening to horror stories like that’s what I sleep to it’s like listening to Horror Story I

Have to have like background noise no wonder no wonder why you and Sean Strickland are be at going to sleep listening to murder Miss I’m more quietly insane than Sean like Sean’s yeah Sean’s just let me ask you uh Chris do you do you

Watch Sci-Fi movies yes I so I’m a kid who grew up on Star War the original Star Wars Trilogy like but I remember when I was young I didn’t have all the movies but one day we were really broke when I was young but my mom uh stayed up

Late she was a third shift nurse she stayed up late one night on her off day and she recorded The Empire Strikes Back when it was on we have we didn’t have cable so she recorded Star Wars not it was Return of the Jedi on a VHS when it

Was on a broadcast TV the one time it was and I watched that tape like every night for like five years and like I I am like probably the biggest sci-fi nerd you’ll ever me like I I mean I’ve got encyclopedic knowledge did you watch Rebel moon on Netflix I haven’t uh I’m

Not of Zack Snider I’m very on Zack Schneider and like I I looked at some of this stuff about it and it seems like just another Zack Snider film and it’s pretty much Star Wars seven Samurai and everything else I’m like I’ve seen this before there you’re right you are right

It is like that people seen it uh who’s seen it Dean Thomas seen I felt like I’ve seen that before like some it is exactly that it’s the Magnificent Seven yeah it is but if you take it for that I dig it it’s pretty cool I like some stuff in it and I’ll

Take it out at some point I will I’m nothing against it I’m just like ah Zack Snider I might about this next one did you ever now this is my favorite did you ever see Doom the new Doom yes yeah yeah yeah did you oh you didn’t like it I was

Fine with it I was I was fine with it so like I I came from the books so I’m someone who like always intrinsically like picks apart the differences so it was closer than any of the uh miniseries that we’ve seen so far cuz God those are bad but uh you know

But I’m I’m always going to be a book s about it so but I was fine with dude I was like okay I want to see where the rest of it goes and like how far along these the series it goes because like Dune the book series stretches for

Thousands of years when you’ve got like talk about you know at trades and how he becomes the great War n or whatever so I’m really curious to see how far we’re g to take them movies with that because like Dune the book series gets weird the last sci-fi movie

I’m gonna ask you about last one the new Blade Runner I mean it’s not new now but it’s been out a little bit gos oh what’s his face uh gos was it gosin yeah yes Ryan glass from the same director as the guy who did dun the new one what do you

Think of that so okay it got like lamb basted I was actually fine with Blade Runner I enjoyed because in the original Blade Runner everybody was the the big question was was Deckard a human or a replicant it’s kind of up in the air about it CU like there some there’s

Certain hints about it and I I enjoy that they kind of in a roundabout way answer that and then about what and just the part the the the plot Parts about like the daughter him thinking that he’s this like replicant born this naturally born replicant and everything

Else and then you like it’s I I I think it was really well done I really enjoyed it like I I I like it like it got lamb basd I enjoyed it me too I thought it was very deep I almost it was one of

Those where I I why the watch it twice to really enjoy it like the first time I’m like I’m not really am I digging this or not like I don’t and then when I seen it more I’m like oh man this is pretty deep even the emotional relationship between Ryan Goslin and his

AI girlfriend which was basically a hologram it just well like it was pretty deep it was pretty cool I think the big thing is with in the time frame that came out there a lot of like Sci-Fi Action movies out the time so I think people were think expecting more dread

As opposed to like Blade Runner but the original blade yeah in the original Blade Runner it was the entire premise of the story was about like what does it mean to be human yeah like like what what in like in the story you know what

Does it mean to feel and the new Blade Runner even with the gossing and the AI once again a big part of that is like what does it mean to like what can you be human without being human like can you if do you are you a person by your

Biology or a person by the things you do and feel and see and I think it was really well done I thought I thought it was I think it went over a lot of people’s head because it wasn’t dread and it wasn’t this big shootout but like

If you went into it understanding like what Blade Runner is already I think it was great I Hey listen okay we’re bringing it next time we talk we’ll talk about the fight for a couple seconds all we’re talking about the whole time we’re talking about this because hanging out ages ago

Me Matt Chris has Chris has a heart out at three they’re telling us 30 seconds I don’t know why but they they gave us that so Chris before we let you go uh first of all congratulations on a great fight and as a fan uh if you

Do drop down I wouldn’t mind seeing Jeff Neil or vente and if you stay uh I wouldn’t mind seeing vtori or caner oh dude that’d be it all sounds fun I’m down for whatever UFC knows um just shoot me the check I’ll sign the I’ll sign the contract shooting the check and

I’m there so let’s uh I’m very happy to see where the future P out now yeah me too I got four options for you it depends if it’s wealthy weight middleweight but I got I got things I want to see and uh congrats man you look

Great and a great fight and I was really happy for you I appreciate it man Mark Andre is a tough tough dude uh so it was good to get the win he’s tougher than we thought we knew it was tough kids faces made of concrete so just glad to get the

Win take care Chris good talk anybody later guys thank you thank You yeah Matt he had a heart out at three and what time is I mean literally on the dot we got him out listen I there’s a lot of things I can’t talk about but there’s a lot of things like like in other words if he’s a big sports fan I

Go oh which the one which ball is it the one with the throw like this or sure or else if he’s into golf I really don’t you know how many holes I when you talk sci-fi or Comics or movies dancing no but if you the other one I

Just mentioned I am a chatty Maddy all right Jimmy hate chatty Maddy I hate that that you’re a chatty Maddy I really don’t like that at all please don’t say that again I don’t like when you’re a bully I no I’m not look I do a

Lot of things that are awful trust Mead MD I’d prefer you never I never before I listen I’d rather you called me a chatty fatty because my breast you’re no you’re looking better that I’m working on it Matt thank you good I can tell you you’re look a little more firm

All right go ahead anything you want to plug my friend oh yes uh before I forget uh tomorrow morning Tuesday morning my wife and I have a new video Going Up On Nikki and Jim NYC and um our YouTube has been the most fun I’ve had in a long time and I’m on

Tour now so check me out uh February March April I got gigs everywhere uh so go to Jim norton.com if you want to see me if not I understand all right me you could catch me on UFC unfiltered and uh that’s it I love it I

Love it Jimmy I was doing so good today now you doing good Jimmy I love you buddy I love you I’ll see you soon thank you Chris Curtis goodbye Everyone