The beloved UFC Fight Night, eagerly awaited by fight fans around the world, returns this weekend, kicking off the action spectacle of 2025 with the Las Vegas series. The year has changed, but some things remain the same. In the case of the UFC, it’s the stacked cards that have become synonymous with fight night. UFC Vegas 101 will be headlined by Amanda Rivas and Mackenzie Dern, and this will be the second time the two have brawled inside the Octagon, with the winner poised to climb further up the strawweight title ladder. We’ll keep an eye on that fight and other exciting matches on this card, but our biggest focus will be on the fight between Chris Curtis and Roman Kopylov. It will be an interesting matchup in the middleweight division as the veteran Curtis will face off against the brutal power of Roman Kopylov.
To dig deeper into the contest, Sportstack had the opportunity to go one-on-one with one of the protagonists of the battle, Action Man himself. In a short but insightful conversation, Curtis shared his thoughts ahead of the match and revealed what kept him out of the ring for over eight months. He also touched on the idea of eventually retiring from the sport and revealed how many years he has left as a fighter. In addition, he offered his thoughts on the upcoming middleweight title fight between Sean Strickland and Drikas du Plessis, and the inevitable presence of Khamzat Chimaev as a contender.
Q. How do you feel about returning to the Octagon?
I can’t wait; I’m excited! I’m not used to taking such a long break, so I’m glad to be back. I start to get frustrated when I don’t get a chance to play, but I’m glad to finally be back in game week.
Q. You are known for being active in this division and have even agreed to fight on just one month’s notice in the past, so why did you take eight months off?
I promise you; the hiatus was not my decision. After his last match, he tore his hamstring with seconds left in the final round and was sidelined for about four months. My recovery was faster than expected, everyone said it would take 6-8 months to recover, but I was cleared to fight within 4 months.
I went into camp and signed for a fight with Kevin Holland, but just two days later I broke my leg while sparring. So I went back another two months. After I cleared it, I took my time and slowly got back in shape, and now I’m here.
I didn’t want to take eight months off, but bad things happened one after the other. Now it’s battle week. I’m healthy, fine, everything is fine.
Q. What are your goals for 2025?
In 2025, I honestly want to stay busy and active. 2024 has been a tough year for me, with some strange ups and downs. But my goal this year is to forget the past. The past is gone. We want to come out on Saturday and start the year with a win and get back on track.
I fixed a lot of things in training and made some changes, so I feel really good. I’m ready to go back. Like I said earlier, I’m not used to just sitting back and watching other people fight or watching from the sidelines. I would like to have a fulfilling year.
Q. What can we expect from the fight with Roman Kopylov?
I’m personally excited too. I love fighting. I want to put my nose to yours, get in there and see what happens. Roman Kopylov is a really good kickboxer, one of the best in the division. I’m excited for this to be a war because he’s really, really great.
I think he’s very skilled, super fast, strong and technical, but I believe I’m much more experienced and better in critical situations. Nothing changes for me. Every battle I take part in is aimed at making it a war. I want it to be violent, gory, and gritty. That’s why I like to fight. That’s what makes it fun for me. That’s what gets my blood pumping. I want to go to war, I just want to go to war.
Q. Where do you think your advantage lies against Roman Kopylov this Saturday?
I think my experience definitely plays a big role here. As I said earlier, Roman Kopylov is really good. I can’t stress this enough. But this is my 10th UFC fight and 43rd professional MMA fight. I’ve fought really good strikers, really good grapplers, guys who can do it all. I’ve fought everyone from everywhere under the sun. It’s really hard to surprise me.
I’ve had great fights, bad fights, easy fights, and even fights where I walked away thinking, “I thought I was going to die.” I don’t think he has been in such deep waters yet. He’s really good, but he’s only 15 games into his career, you know? It’s still early. Personally, I think if you have less than 25 races, you are still a beginner. Therefore, I believe that my experience will make a difference in this fight.
Also read | Joe Rogan makes a major change in direction after citing rumors of Jon Jones’ UFC salary for fight against Tom Aspinall “Dana contacted me”
Q. How do you feel about your ranking at this stage of your career?
who knows? If he goes to defeat Roman Kopylov, he will definitely be back up in the rankings. But at this point, I don’t care. I just want to fight. I don’t care about rankings as much anymore. I just want to get in there and fight.
I think I’ll probably retire in a few years, by the time I turn 40. I’ve been doing this for a long time and I’m grateful that my body has held up. I feel good and have a few more years left. I want to play as many games as possible and create as many memories as possible. A ranking is a ranking. I realized they were made by people who weren’t actually participating. That’s very strange. It’s really a popularity contest.
that’s reality. If they give me back my rankings, that’s fine. Otherwise, my salary will remain the same. I’m happy either way.
Q. As a veteran of the sport, how long do you think you can compete at the highest level? Also, is there a possibility of you retiring?
In my case, if I keep going at my current pace, I think I can probably compete until I’m over 40, maybe even 45. But I’ve been involved in this sport for a long time and I started to realize. The age of 40 is the age at which most people begin to decline. You can put it off until later, but when you turn 40, it starts to show.
I think I can delay too. I live a healthy lifestyle. I’m a healthy person. I don’t party, I don’t smoke or drink, and I train seven days a week, so I’m able to slow down my body’s decline considerably. But the unfortunate truth is that time catches up with everyone.
ALSO READ | ‘He needs to lose’: Jon Jones’ former rival Daniel Cormier says UFC future is at stake on loss to heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall
Q. Fighters often retire for a long time, but it seems like they have a specific idea of when to call it a career. How did you decide on this evaluation?
I’d rather finish my career and leave something behind by the time I’m 40, than keep going and become a shadow of who I am now at 46. I don’t want that. I’ve seen people stay committed to the sport for longer than they should, and I don’t want that for myself.
I think I’ve been here a long time and I feel like three to four more years is the right time to leave. No matter how good you feel, it’s better to leave while there’s still something left. I have a family, children and people who love me. It’s better to leave something than give nothing.
Q. What do you think about the upcoming fight between Doricus du Plessis and Sean Strickland at UFC 312?
The matchup between Sean and Dorikas is so wild to me because they’re both really weird fighters. Watching their fights, it’s hard to judge, especially considering how close the first fight was. It was a very close battle.
These fights are difficult to predict, as dolicus fights like chimpanzees on cocaine in a phone booth. Because it’s wild but throws people off. Then there’s Sean. He labels everyone naive, but his style completely ruins people.
There are two very unconventional styles that are very difficult to adapt to and understand. As a fan of the sport, I’m really interested in watching this fight. I have full confidence in Sean and I’m looking forward to seeing who makes the better adjustments. If there’s such a thing as a coin toss battle, this is definitely it.
Q. Khamzat Chimaev had an exceptional performance against Robert Whittaker recently. What do you think, is Chimaev reaching his full potential and is he the next big thing in the division?
I’ve been training with Khamzat for quite some time and he’s definitely an interesting talent and someone you don’t see very often. If he can stay healthy, I think he can have a place in this division for a very long time.
I’ve seen him and Sean fight in the gym and it was like watching two cats fight. It was a pretty wild and evenly matched contest. I think if you put him with Sean and Dorikas he would be a perfect fit. He has the skill set to compete with them.
It was unexpected to see him go past Whittaker that fast. That makes you ask: Has Whittaker reached an age where time has caught up with him, or is Khamzat reaching his full potential now? I think Khamzat’s next fight will answer some of those questions, whether it’s about Whitaker’s decline or Khamzat figuring it all out.
It will definitely be exciting to see what happens next.
*Catch UFC Fight Night – Dern vs. Rivas 2 on Sony Sports Ten 2 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 SD & HD (Tamil & Telugu) 4 We will be watching live from 1:30. PM IST on January 12, 2025. Sony Sports Network is the official broadcaster of UFC in India.
