“Give me a 5-round fight and I’ll show you” - Chris Curtis pleads for UFC Apex main event slot, promises to deliver “something magical”

Chris Curtis wants a 25-minute encounter for his next octagon foray and is eyeing a very specific location.

Curtis is on the heels of a split decision win over Marc Andre Barriault at UFC 297 in a three-round clash at middleweight, which follows a winless run in 2023.

During a recent interaction with MMA Junkie Radio, Curtis was asked if there were names out there he would like to fight next. He responded:

"I don't really care who. I just wanna fight. So everyone hates the apex right? I like the apex, I have no issue with the apex. I've fought everyone you've asked me to fight. Like I've done well in most of them, let me main event an apex card. I'm totally happy, let me main event an apex card. Give me a five round fight and let me show you something great."

Curtis added:

"My biggest weakness is that I'm so geared towards five round fights that three round fights are kind of hard for me to adjust to. Give me a five round fight. I don't care with who, give me a five round fight and I'll show you something magical."

Check out the clip of Chris Curtis calling for an Apex headliner below

---

Chris Curtis and his past five-rounders

Chris Curtis has been scheduled in five-round fights before albeit just not in the confines of the UFC cage.

The now-36-year-old captured the then-vacant Z Promotions welterweight title in September 2017. He put the first blemish on the pro-MMA record of Peter Grajcar and went the full twenty-five minutes to garner a unanimous decision win.

'The Action Man' then won the CES 170-pound belt on his next outing and added it to his welterweight hardware. This April 2018 fight at CES 49 saw Curtis beat Jason Norwood with another UD that saw him encroach to the final bell of a full championship fight.

The Ohio native then captured the Z Promotions middleweight belt and defeated Matt Dwyer in the process. He again showed his gas tank by going the full 25 minutes and winning via majority decision to garner gold in that organization at 185 pounds.

Curtis then defended his ZP welterweight title in January 2020 after his PFL stint. He bested Darren Smith Jr via fourth-round corner stoppage to retain his gold on the gold. Curtis now looks to put together a winning streak as his 2024 campaign continues.