LONDON – Chris Curtis sees zero downside to his decision to step in on short notice to fight Jack Hermansson at UFC Fight Night 208.
Hermansson (22-7 MMA, 9-5 UFC) was originally scheduled to fight Darren Till on Saturday’s card, which takes place at The O2 and streams on ESPN+. An injury less than three weeks out created an opening, though, and that’s when Curtis (29-8 MMA, 3-0 UFC) got the call and decided to pounce.
“I literally said yes before I knew I was fighting Jack Hermansson, because my first question was, ‘What are they paying me?’ Once (my manager) said that, I was already in,” Curtis told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 208 media day. “I could’ve been fighting whoever. As long as it wasn’t Yoel Romero, I didn’t care, and he’s not in the company – the only guy I’m actually afraid of. It’s a tricky fight, sure, but what’s the worst that happens? I lose? I’ve got eight losses on my record. I’m not really worried about that.”
When pressed about what type of money he’s receiving to step in, Curtis said the promotion “at least doubled” and “probably more than doubled” his pay from his most recent fight, which was a unanimous decision over Rodolfo Vieira less than a month ago at UFC on ESPN 38.
The quick turnaround is nothing new for Curtis, who will be competing for the fourth time since his octagon debut at UFC 268 in November. It’s been a dream ride for “The Action Man,” who famously retired twice in one night back in 2019 before he refocused on the sport and put together what’s currently an eight-fight winning streak.
Curtis is soaking in the moment, too. He said he’s going to have Till, who pulled out of the fight with Hermansson, in his corner when he walks into the cage.
From there, Curtis will be focused entirely on victory. He knows what a win over a perennial contender like Hermansson would do for his career, and suddenly Curtis would have to shift his goals for this stage of his career.
“I think a win over Jack puts me very close to the top,” Curtis said. “And that’s more important to me than anything else, is just being close to the top and seeing how close to the ceiling I’m going to be able to get.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 208.
