UFC middleweight Chris Curtis’ frustration over a loss to Jack Hermansson continued to simmer after UFC London.
Curtis doubled down on his anger toward Hermansson, writing on Twitter, “What a fucking waste of everyone’s time” in the aftermath of his decision loss in the co-headliner of Saturday’s fight card at The O2.
“Sorry London, I failed,” he wrote. “Should’ve preped [sic] instead for a track meeting.”
What an awful waste of time. Sorry London I tried. I should have prepared for the track meet.
— Chris Curtis The Action Man (@Actionman513) July 23, 2022
Later, after receiving hundreds of angry replies from fans pointing to his own actions in the fight, Curtis appeared to take some responsibility for the result and even poke a bit of fun at himself.
Frustrating night for sure. Couldn’t get going. Just felt flat. It’s not something that anyone wants, but tonight it seems like I choked. Couldn’t make the adjustments and let myself get frustrated. Sucks guys. Feels bad. But no injuries, no damage. A lot to learn
— Chris Curtis The Action Man (@Actionman513) July 23, 2022
But we knew this was a big risk going in. Sometimes you win big. Sometimes you lose big. Tonight was one of those nights. But the love and support from the Fans in London post fight has been great. Tonight, I was able to do the nails. Dems the breaks.
— Chris Curtis The Action Man (@Actionman513) July 23, 2022
It was a frustrating night. Couldn’t get going. Just felt flat. Nobody ever wants to be the guy to admit it but it looks like tonight I choked. Couldn’t make the adjustments and let myself get frustrated. It’s so frustrating, guys. Feels bad. But no injuries, no damage. There is much to be learned. Although it wasn’t what I wanted or expected, technical aspects of the fight were perfect and he was able to adapt my approach. Frustrating to travel to the other side of the planet to fucking choke in your biggest moment.
But we knew this was a big risk going in. Sometimes you win big. And sometimes you are Goose and crash and burn horribly. Tonight was one of those nights. The support and love from London fans post-fight has been amazing. Tonight, I was able to do the nails. Dems the breaks.
Curtis flipped the double-bird to Hermansson at the final bell, and the two exchanged insults as referee Marc Goddard stayed between them to ensure the confrontation didn’t escalate. Curtis mocked Hermansson after his profane gesture, running across the octagon as corners and additional officials walked inside.
Hermansson, who initially was scheduled to face Darren Till before an injury forced the Brit to withdraw, used his height and reach to keep Curtis at bay. Curtis was unable to resist his head-kicks and punches in the second round. Curtis rallied in Round 3, capturing the frame on the scorecards of two of three judges’ scorecards, but it wasn’t enough to win the day; Hermansson took home the decision via 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 tallies.
Hermansson later apologized for his behavior after the fight, but Curtis appeared to need more time to compose himself.
Curtis suffered the first loss of his UFC career after a trio of octagon wins and an eight-fight winning streak. After a loss by split to Sean Strickland, Hermansson recovered.
Later on Saturday, Curtis continued to simmer down and playfully gave Hermansson his respect.
Stupid Jack Hermansson is really a nice guy and now I feel worse. Stupid friendly Jack Hermansson…
— Chris Curtis The Action Man (@Actionman513) July 24, 2022
Stupid Jack Hermansson is really a nice guy and now I feel worse. Stupid friendly Jack Hermansson…