After a false start last month, Phil Hawes and Chris Curtis finally got to throw down at UFC 268.
The fight had nearly come together last month, with Curtis stepping up on just a day’s notice against Hawes. Only for Hawes to turn down the fight — leading to it being pushed back to the New York City card.
For Curtis, his UFC debut was over a decade in the making. A journey that took him to the Contender Series, only to be denied a contract off an impressive win, then to the PFL, where things didn’t go his way. Through two retirements, and still, Curtis was here, making his debut Saturday against all odds.
He made the most of it Saturday night.
Both fighters took the center of the octagon following a touch of the gloves to kick off the middleweight bout. Hawes started with a push kick and a 1-2. Hawes landed a heavy body kick. Another 1-2 backed Curtis up. Hawes faked a takedown to get Curtis’ attention. Hawes landed a hard right hand. Hawes landed three kicks to Curtis’ knee. Three minutes into the fight and Hawes had see almost no offense from Curtis. Under two minutes left, and Curtis finally landed a combo. One minute left, and Curtis landed a left hand that rocked Hawes- Curtis recognized it and jumped on Hawes, landing another punch followed by a knee, and Hawes dropped!
ACTION MAN WITH THE SUPERHERO STRENGTH 💪
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— UFC (@ufc) November 7, 2021
What a comeback win for Curtis, on a night with several feel-good stories (see Chris Barnett’s debut win for another). With the finish, Curtis snapped Hawes’ seven-fight streak and now is riding a six-fight win streak himself. He’s also a shining example of why you should never stop chasing your dreams.
Official Result: Chris Curtis def. Phil Hawes by KO (punch), Round 1, 4:27
