Chris Curtis returned to the welterweight division for the first time since 2021 at UFC Nashville on Saturday, where he was greeted by Max Griffin.
Curtis, a longtime MMA vet and fan favorite, literally sprinted to the cage during his walkout, showing he wasn’t overly drained after making the move down from 185lbs. Both fighters entered the night off losses, Griffin to Michael Chiesa, Curtis to Roman Kopylov, and Brendan Allen before that.
Griffin worked from the outside early, circling and looking to keep Curtis at the end of his punches. While the first 90 seconds or so were a feeling out process, Curtis felt one blow most of all: a grazing low kick that just caught the cup, and led to a time out. After a brief pause, Curtis then began complaining about a head clash, only for the ref to tell him to fight on. Griffin stayed right on him, bullying Curtis up to the fence. Curtis would eventually break free, with the next few minutes playing out at range, both fighters landing a couple of decent blows. One final clinch, and they headed off to the second.
Round two saw Curtis and Griffin pick up where they left off, with Curtis landing a solid left inside of a minute. Griffin was a bit slower than he’d looked in the first, but went on the attack about a minute in, only to get tagged hard by Griffin. Suddenly, Curtis was coming on, firing some heavy power shots as Griffin bobbed and weaved. Griffin had a trickle of blood along the hairline now. With two minutes still on the clock, Griffin tied Curtis up by the fence, much to the displeasure of the Nashville crowd, given the lack of action that ensued. Curtis would manage to free himself, and walk down a backpedaling Griffin. The final minute saw another series of exchanges, with Curtis landing a few, but missing on some even bigger shots.
Max Griffin opened round three with a high kick, blocked by Curtis, who was soon ripping the body. Griffin then retreated and regrouped, before working from the outside. Griffin ripped a kick to the body, while Curtis relied as he often does on his boxing. Near the midway mark of the round, Griffin fired off a combo punctuated with a high kick. Curtis, however, ripped the body again, hurting Griffin. Curtis suddenly had Griffin hemmed in against the fence, with Max “Pain” having slowed a step. Curtis would press in the final minute, though Griffin was there with a body kick. They’re trade to the horn, then await the judges’ decision after 15 hard-fought minutes.
Official Result: Chris Curtis def. Max Griffin by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
