Jack Hermansson and Chris Curtis needed referee Marc Goddard between them when Curtis gave Hermansson the double-bird after 15 minutes together in UFC London’s co-main.
Hermansson, who solidly won a three-round striking battle, came right back with a “f*** you,” prompting officials to high-tail it into the octagon as bouncers. Curtis’ Xtreme Couture team almost prevented him from making the announcement of a 29-28, slate to Hermansson. However, he gave a thumbs-down.
The last exchange of kickboxing was also the most intense part in a otherwise sluggish affair. Stepping in on short notice for the injured Darren Till, Curtis didn’t get out of first gear until the third round, when Hermansson had built a solid lead using his superior height and reach. The Swede used body kicks and takedown attempts to keep Curtis off-balance, and he evaded firefights when his American opponent turned up the tempo.
Curtis was likely to lose his patience during the third round. He did the best job of the fight, after being knocked unconscious by a headkick in the first. As Curtis started to ramp up, Hermansson continued to deny him the chance to land big shots and snuck in more body kicks. An opportunity to cut the line on Hermansson, the No. 12 ranked Middleweight in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings turned out to be an overseas failure for Curtis who had won three of his initial UFC bouts. Curtis expressed his disgust at Hermansson’s method.
Hermansson, meanwhile, bounced back after a split call loss to Sean Strickland in the headliner of UFC Vegas 47. He has bounced between wins and losses in his past seven fights, and apologized for the fiery post-fight display.
“He taunted me and a frog leapt out of my mouth,” Hermansson stated.
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