One of MMA's experienced minds defended Chris Curtis' stance on the controversial ending to his fight at UFC Vegas 101.
UFC middleweight Chris Curtis' first Octagon appearance of 2025 did not go as he expected on Saturday night against the talented Roman Kopylov.
Curtis, a UFC fan favorite who is consistently involved in high-octane fights, was once again locked in a back-and-forth battle against Kopylov at UFC Vegas 101. After a fast start in the opening round, Curtis struggled to fend off Kopylov . as the fight progressed, especially when Kopylov found a rhythm with his strikes.
In the final seconds of the fight, Kopylov hit Curtis heavily on the feet and eventually dropped him with a left high kick. But as referee Mark Smith hesitated on whether to call the fight off, Curtis worked his way back to his feet and kept his eyes firmly on Kopylov.
After the initial hesitation, Smith waved off the fight, which Curtis immediately protested. Many top experts, including Paul Felder and Din Thomas, were divided on whether or not the stoppage was valid.
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'Big' John McCarthy criticizes UFC Vegas 101 referee for controversial stoppage
During a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, “Big” John McCarthy responded to the controversial conclusion of Kopylov vs. Curtis.
“Going into the third, it was 1-1,” McCarthy said of Kopylov versus Curtis. “Obviously Kopylov won the third round, but the stoppage was bad… if Kopylov had gone after Chris it would have been a good stoppage… you have to stop the fight if the person can't defend himself, and at that moment there was nothing to defend yourself against.
“You look at what happened to Curtis. Curtis got injured, got hit with a good kick and went out of the way, but he watches his opponent to some extent. And his opponent runs away? He has nothing to defend, don't stop the fight there. Once he's out, stop the fight. But when he isn't, and his opponent walks away and you know I've already heard the clapping of the boards. Counting down in my head whether you're doing the job right… I'm not stopping the fight [there].”
McCarthy, who transitioned to a top analyst after a long career as an MMA referee, made similar mistakes while officiating fights. But while he believes Smith made an honest mistake, he believes Curtis' post-fight antics and frustration were justified.
Chris Curtis takes center stage in UFC's first controversial finish of 2025
After a wild start to his UFC career, Curtis' performance at UFC Vegas 101 adds to a recent bout of bad luck for the fighter. Over his last four fights, he has been involved in two split-decision fights and a no-contest due to an accidental headbutt against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC 289.
Before the loss to Kopylov, Curtis lost a split decision to Brendan Allen last April during a short-notice main event booking. His last win came against Marc-Andre Barriault via split decision at UFC 297.
Despite the controversial finish against Kopylov, Curtis took home a post-fight performance bonus after earning 'Fight of the Night' honors. But Curtis' up-and-down run in the Octagon continues as 2025 gets underway.
Curtis will look to get back on track in his expected return later this year. As for McCarthy, he remains a top analyst and officiating resource in MMA.
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