Chris Curtis will return to Canada this January.
Curtis (30-10, 1NC) will face Canadian Marc-Andre Barriault (16-6, 1NC) in a middleweight fight at UFC 297, expected to take place at the ScotiaBank Arena in Toronto, ON on January 20, 2024.
Alex Behunin was first to report news of the booking. Multiple sources previously confirmed the location of the event to Cageside Press, while both Barriault and Curtis confirmed the fight on social media. “Told you I owed you one Canada” wrote Curtis on his Instagram Story.
Curtis took part in UFC 289 in Vancouver this past June, where things did not go as planned. Paired up with France’s Nassourdine Imavov, the fight came to an early end when Curtis was the victim of an accidental clash of heads in the second round, left unable to continue. The bout was ruled a No Contest as a result.
Prior to that, “The Action Man” had been trading wins and losses, with victories over Joaquin Buckley and Rodolfo Vieira.
Barriault has won two straight, and five of his last seven, after struggling early in his UFC run. Most recently, he earned a Fight of the Night bonus for his win against Eryk Anders at UFC 289 in Vancouver — the very same card Curtis last competed on.
While no main event has been announced for UFC 297, the following fights have been reported for the card:
- Arnold Allen vs. Movsar Evloev
- Brad Katona vs. Garrett Armfield
- Gillian Robertson vs. Polyana Viana
- Serhiy Sidey vs. Ramon Taveras
- Chris Curtis vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
