MIAMI – UFC middleweight Chris Curtis isn’t necessarily worried about what his UFC 287 opponent will do inside the cage, unless he starts pulling off some supernatural physical acts.
In the feature prelim on ESPN and ESPN+ before the pay-per-view main card at Kaseya Center, Curtis (30-9 MMA, 4-1 UFC) takes on former title challenger Kelvin Gastelum. It’s a big fight for both, as they are trying to navigate their way to the top of the division to earn a shot at the title. A win over “The Ultimate Fighter Season 17” winner Gastelum (17-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) will put Curtis on that path.
“I think everything at this point in my life is a big fight just because I am where I am,” Curtis told reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “Yeah, TUF winner, title challenger – that’s cool, man. But this is my 41st, 40th fight? Something like that. So, I mean, what changes?
“He’s a guy. Unless he’s going to come out, unless he can throw a f*cking fireball, or like start flying or some sh*t that I haven’t seen before, what’s he gonna do that I haven’t seen? Maybe he does some sh*t different, but what’s gonna change? Like, I’ve got 40 fights. I’ve seen a lot.”
Gastelum, who has faced a number of former champions throughout his UFC run, is hungry for a win. His last victory came against Ian Heinisch at UFC 258 in 2021, which was followed by two unanimous decision losses to Robert Whittaker and Jared Cannonier. In fact, dating back to 2019, Gastelum has gone 1-5 over his last six fights, leading some to believe his best days are behind him.
“One of my coaches said it best: You’re not fighting Kelvin Gasetelum the title challenger, you’re not fighting Kelvin Gastelum the TUF winner, you’re fighting Kelvin Gastelum the man,” Curtis said. “He’s just a man, and I’ve fought 40 other men as a professional, so nothing changes.”
If the peak-performance Gastelum doesn’t step into the cage Saturday, Curtis admits he’ll be OK with that, because it means he will get to enjoy Miami with less bumps and bruises on his face. However, due to his extreme dedication to his craft, “The Action Man” is ready to face the best possible version of Gastelum, and will be ready for anything, except the fireballs, as he looks to make it two straight victories.
“I stopped letting myself get so freaked out about it. Like four days ago, five days ago, I had a f*cking freak out at practice. And they’re like, ‘What is wrong with you?’ I’m just like getting in my own head because I have a habit of wanting to be perfect. I want everything to go perfect, I want to train perfect, I want to perform perfect – everything. And I have to remind myself that perfect is the enemy of good, and sometimes good is enough especially I train seven days a week, year-round. I don’t take time off.
“I respect Kelvin a lot, man. He’s got his camp change, he said he’s healthy, and that’s cool. But I know for a fact that he hasn’t been disciplined for 15 years, and I’ve lived every day of my last 15 years disciplined. So, I don’t care if he’s had a really good camp and got sh*t together, I’m not going to let one camp overwrite 15 years of hard work and sacrifice. I refuse.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.