Over the years, the UFC community has witnessed many intriguing rivalries between fighters. However, rivalries among teammates are rare. One notable case was the rivalry between Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington. Currently, there is significant buzz around the rift between Team Xtreme Couture’s teammates, Sean Strickland and Chris Curtis.
Chris ‘Action Man’ Curtis is gearing up for an exciting matchup this weekend against Roman Kopylov. In anticipation of the fight, Curtis took the stage at the UFC Vegas 101 media-day presser, engaging in an in-depth discussion about various topics surrounding his upcoming bout. Notably, he didn’t hold back when addressing his ongoing rivalry with fellow teammate Sean Strickland.
There are times when I have debated hitting him with a brick. Like, not even joking, I’m like, ‘Bro, I’m gonna hit you with a f**king brick.’ Like, I don’t care where it goes…This time led to a fist fight as well. And we were really about to throw down, and the entire gym was like, ‘Are you guys really doing this?’ And I’m, like, threatening to cripple him before he fights Dricus. ‘I was like, ‘I will f**king cripple you!’ So, yeah, we get out of hand.
Chris Curtis via UFC Vegas 101 media-day scrum
Both Strickland and Curtis have trained together for a long time under top coaches like Randy Couture, Ray Sefo, and Eric Nicksick. However, the rift between the two UFC middleweight fighters primarily stemmed in 2024. The main reason for the feud between Strickland and Curtis has been undisclosed to date. In his recent media scrum, the ‘Action Man’ shared one moment in their training session.
😳 “I’M THREATENING TO CRIPPLE HIM BEFORE HE FIGHTS DRICUS. I WILL F*****G CRIPPLE YOU!”
Chris Curtis revealed things almost took a turn for the worse between he and Sean Strickland one day at Xtreme Couture.#UFCVegas101 pic.twitter.com/MoMUC3eF9p
— FULL SEND MMA (@full_send_mma) January 8, 2025
According to Curtis, he and Strickland were on the verge of a physical confrontation. Fortunately, bystanders at the scene intervened to diffuse the situation. Notably, the Action Man even threatened to incapacitate ‘Tarzan.’ Interestingly, if that had occurred, Strickland’s upcoming fight against Dricus Du Plessis would have been at risk.
Chris Curtis labels Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis fight as a ‘circus’
Sean Strickland is a former UFC middleweight champion, who recently lost his title to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297. After quickly bouncing back with a victory over Paulo Costa at UFC 302, Strickland now has the opportunity to reclaim his middleweight crown. Interestingly, his upcoming fight will be a rematch against Du Plessis, who has solidified his reign by recently defending the title against Israel Adesanya.
Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland at UFC 297 (Image via NY Post)With less than a month remaining until the clash at UFC 312, several prominent figures in the UFC community are sharing their insights about this rematch. Among the discussions, many are calling it an intriguing matchup. However, there has been some criticism as well, notably from Strickland’s teammate and rival, Chris Curtis.
It’s just going to be such a weird fight. It’s going to be coked-out chimpanzees in a phone booth, and I want to see it. I believe in Sean, he’s one of the hardest-working dudes I’ve ever met. I think he can do it, I’m pulling for him, but at the end of the day, I just kind of want to see this happen because honestly, it’s the most high-level circus fight you’ll ever see.
Chris Curtis via MMA Junkie
Both Strickland and Du Plessis have distinct fighting styles, a point emphasized by Curtis. Despite being an unconventional MMA fighter, Du Plessis consistently finds ways to secure victories, as noted by many top UFC fighters. It will be intriguing to see if DDP can come out on top again in the upcoming rematch against Strickland at UFC 312.
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