Chris Curtis, who won a three-round fight at UFC 297, expressed frustration with the commentary by analysts Dominick Cruz and Daniel Cormier, accusing them of unfair criticism and negatively influencing public perception of his performance.
Chris Curtis had a significant victory at UFC 297. But, not everyone was impressed.
In his three-round bout against Marc-Andre Barriault in Toronto, Curtis and his opponent were occasionally booed. They were engaged in a strategic striking match. Curtis managed to secure a split decision, ending his three-fight losing streak. However, the fight’s critical reception somewhat marred the moment.
What irked Curtis the most was the commentary. Analysts Dominick Cruz and Daniel Cormier, according to Curtis, have never been fair to him.
Curtis vented on The MMA Hour, “I get crapped on by ‘DC’ and Dominick Cruz every time I fight. No matter what’s happening. DC was kinder than before, but Dominick Cruz is just like, ‘It looks like he’s sparring,’ and blah blah blah.” He added that both he and Barriault are solid fighters, making it difficult to knock each other down.
Curtis felt his performance was undermined by the commentary. He said, “People latch on to what the commentary says, and now I hear, ‘He didn’t even fight hard. It was a low-energy sparring match.’ Stand in front of me and let me hit you the same way.”
Curtis had high praise for his opponent, describing Barriault as a tank. He hit him with everything he had, but Barriault remained standing and kept fighting back. Curtis was frustrated with Cruz’s commentary, which he felt misrepresented the intensity of the fight.
Curtis, a veteran of 42 professional fights, has had his share of impressive knockouts. Despite this, he hasn’t knocked out an opponent since December 2022. Just two fights before UFC 297, he won a “Fight of the Night” award despite losing to Kelvin Gastelum.
Curtis doesn’t plan on changing his style. Instead, he invites Cruz to experience his striking firsthand.
Curtis expressed his frustration, saying, “I cannot win to save my life. ‘Aw, he’s low output.’ I did more than him and I threw more punches in this fight than the Gastelum fight, which was applauded for the action.” He added that he can’t seem to please people, but he’s happy with his performance.
Curtis found humor in the criticism of the Sean Strickland–Dricus du Plessis fight. He said, “They’re just throwing sloppy punches’ and blah blah blah, so apparently Sean and Dricus are throwing big, sloppy, power punches with no technique, but according to Dominick Cruz and now the internet because everyone just latches on to commentators, ‘Aw, you’re just sparring.’”
Curtis challenged Cruz to stand in front of him and take his hits. He said, “Dominick Cruz, stand here Dominick Cruz, and let me hit you the way I was hitting him and see if it’s just sparring.” He insisted that he was hitting hard and taking hard hits in return. Despite the criticism, Curtis said, “I’m proud of myself, I’m very proud of myself.”