Chris Curtis chose not to discuss his post-fight behavior in a lengthy statement following his latest defeat.
The middleweight prospect is now eyeing a move up to welterweight after suffering his second straight defeat and his fourth in seven fights. Roman Kopylov handed him the loss with a dramatic last second head-kick TKO.
However, headlines were made after Curtis became angry with referee Mark Smith over his decision to stop the fight with a second over. This led to fans mocking his antics online, and he has yet to address that part of the evening.
Chris Curtis is furious with the referee after losing to a last-second head kick
With the fight going down to one round last night in Las Vegas, both Chris Curtis and Roman Kopylov needed something big to secure the victory in the third. And with one second left on the clock, the Russian landed a head kick that called the fight.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
This infuriated Curtis and insisted that the extra second should have been played out. He did not appear to be unconscious as a result of the kick, and as such would certainly have survived until the final bell had he been allowed there.
However, Smith made his decision and stopped the fight, which angered Curtis. Fans on social media agreed it may have been a bad stoppage, but also noted that the American isn't exactly the most graceful fighter when beaten at the best of times.
Chris Curtis releases first statement since defeating Roman Kopylov
Following his outburst, Curtis shared a statement on Instagram reflecting on the evening. He boasted that he had made $200,000 as a result of receiving a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus, and thanked the UFC for giving him this opportunity.
One glaring omission, however, was the mention of the officials and his post-fight collision. “The only job in the world where you can make 200,000 euros in one night and still be heartbroken wondering where you're going,” he wrote.
'No damage, I'm fine. Probably workout 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. It just hurts to come up short.
“Thank you to everyone who reached out, lots of love online and in person, it means a lot to me. I guess I should take some comfort from the night's fight, but I only consider tonight a failure. Maybe 170 is the best choice from here.
“Rest this weekend and I think we will talk to the team and management about what comes next. Thanks again to @mickmaynard2 for the opportunity to do what I love. I'm not sure who or where I would be without it. Thank you to the @ufcpi for bringing me back together 3 times this year.
“It was an incredibly difficult road back, but @gav_pratt and @heatherlinden and their teams really did their utmost for me, and I will never be grateful for that. Fortunately, for the time being, we are unharmed and healthy. We're working to find out what comes next.
“Thanks to everyone at @xcmma, @77natepettitmma_, @eric_xcmma and @jayhieron for being there for me tonight. Thank you @lancespaude, you are truly my brother and I love you. There are many people I won't mention here, but I want to thank you all. And I see you when I see you.”
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