'Different personalities'… Chris Curtis clears the air on public Sean Strickland feud after seemingly fixing friendship
Yesterday at 08:51 PM
Chris Curtis opened up on his recent public feud with teammate and former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland.
UFC middleweights Chris Curtis and Sean Strickland were almost inseparable earlier in their fighting careers. But things took a bizarre turn over the last year after an incident in the gym involving Strickland and Curtis led to their friendship falling apart in a public fashion.
According to Strickland, things with Curtis became strained after Curtis allegedly wanted to partner with him in a light sparring session at Xtreme Couture. Strickland, who is notorious for hard-nosed spars in the gym, declined Curtis’ offer and roasted him on his X account afterward.
What followed were social media back-and-forths between Strickland and Curtis on the platform. At one point, Curtis allegedly blocked Strickland on the social media website after Strickland repeatedly took personal shots at him.
After things between Strickland and Curtis appeared repaired in a recent Christmas picture, Curtis was asked about Strickland in a recent interview ahead of UFC Vegas 101.
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Chris Curtis gives an honest assessment of recent blowup with Sean Strickland
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie‘s Mike Bohn, Curtis shared an update on where things stand between him and Strickland ahead of their upcoming fights.
“I’ve never left the gym, me and Sean fight a lot,” Curtis said. “When you’ve known somebody for that long, you’re going to have some friction. You know how to get under each other’s skin. We’ve had words, and fistfights, on multiple occasions. It’s always going to be that way. We’re very different personalities with very different beliefs and boundaries.
“We’ve both crossed those boundaries a lot more than most people. So, it’s going to happen, it’s just a part of the game.”
Curtis faces talented striker Roman Kopylov at UFC Vegas 101 this Saturday on the promotion’s first card of the year. He returns to the Octagon following a short-notice loss to Brendan Allen last April.
Next month, it’ll be Strickland’s turn to make the walk as he faces UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis in the UFC 312 main event in Australia. Despite initial hesitance in accepting another fight in Australia, Strickland gets his shot at revenge after losing to du Plessis at UFC 297.
Sean Strickland and Chris Curtis patch things up ahead of upcoming fights
Strickland will likely be in Curtis’s corner for his fight this weekend in Las Vegas. Curtis is looking to get back in the win column and earn his first victory since defeating Marc-Andre Barriault by split decision at UFC 297.
Strickland earned another middleweight title shot after a decisive win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302. He lost to du Plessis in their first fight by split decision in one of the most highly-contested fights of 2024.
Curtis and Strickland face pivotal fights to kick off 2025. After the start of the new year, it appears that Curtis and Strickland have turned a new leaf after their public banter.
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