Chris Curtis is a problem at 185-pounds.
The 36-year-old Ohio native has quietly pieced together five middleweight wins since his official UFC debut in November 2021, and on Saturday night inside the UFC’s Apex facility outside Las Vegas he will look to add another when he takes on Brendan Allen, a short notice replacement for Marvin Vettori, in a rematch of a December 2021 clash won by Curtis by second-round TKO.
Allen comes into the fight on the back of an impressive run of his own, having won six straight since his loss to Curtis — with his November rear-naked choke win against Paul Craig his fourth successive submission win in the Octagon.
Curtis, though, has been submitted just once in 42 career fights and if he can display the type of striking acumen shown in recent contests, Saturday night’s UFC main event has all the the ingredients for a fascinating clash of styles.
Check out Curtis’ win against Joaquin Buckley below if you needed a reminder of his skills.