Chris Curtis was unable to make it all three rounds against Rodolfo Veira, but he moved on to 3-0 in the octagon and won a unanimous decision to start the UFC Vegas 57 main event.
Curtis focused on taking Vieira down round by round with nasty body shots, while simultaneously trying to stop him from getting any further. All three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Curtis, who remains undefeated since joining the UFC roster in late 2021.
“Rip to the body, definitely [the game plan],” Curtis said afterwards. It worked. There was a lot of wrestling in the last couple months. I like violence. I am a nice man. Rodolfo deserves a lot of credit for his improved .”
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There was no secret to Vieira’s game plan as the Brazilian jiu-jitsu stylist did everything possible to get inside so he could take the fight down to the ground. The only problem was that Curtis consistently shrugged him off, which made Vieira work that much harder to try and drag the action to the canvas.
On his feet, Curtis wasn’t able to let go of his hands due to Vieira’s threat of grappling. This made it difficult to use some of his most powerful weapons. Vieira managed to combine some kicks with a smooth jab, which kept Curtis’ head in the back.
When Curtis finally started to find his rhythm, he hammered Vieira to the body and then went back up top to the head. Curtis was consistent with his body work and as a result, Vieira’s movement started to slow while he caught his breath.
Realizing Vieira was in poor condition, Curtis launched an offensive as the third round began. The Cincinnati native became more active and was throwing strikes. Although Vieira was willing to remain in the pocket for exchanges, Curtis made more impact which resulted in Vieira doing less damage.
He also continued to shut down every single attempt from Vieira to get the fight down to the ground and that didn’t do Vieira’s gas tank any favors. Curtis still managed to land punishing shots on the body, even though his output was slowing.
Curtis’s remarkable turnaround from his retirement to three victories in the UFC was a huge achievement. He remains an inspiring story and a great source of joy after Saturday night.
