Chris Curtis Left Social Media, Adjusted Training Mentality to Get Back on Track | UFC 297

Chris Curtis Left Social Media, Adjusted Training Mentality to Get Back on Track | UFC 297

What’s up Canada Chris that is the greatest shirt I’ve seen today like well done sker was black right d he was black like let’s he was he was black it’s like uh you watch Arthur like Buster was yeah but yeah bra was black yeah BR was definitely black H

So tough act to follow was Shawn up here but uh oh did I just miss Sean how great was that uh great would be one way who got insulted uh I think everyone but it was your it was your hair uh you well your hair you’re being Asian was it Asian or

Hair really wow good for him he’s growing he’s he’s growing yeah what’ you get hair I I got the hair who else no even know bro why oh it’s fine it’s whatever it’s fine it’s it’s scares me but whatever how much time have you spent with Shawn leading up to this

Fight cuz you did some training in Colorado too right yeah I just popped out there there uh it was early in Camp uh I’m one of those guys to where I’m honestly like looking back at it everybody’s kind of pointed out I do much better when I’m not in Camp for 12

Weeks like I kind of like I burn myself out and I freak out so uh the first couple weeks we kind of burned we still training hard but I went around uh I went out to factory X for a little bit got to work with uh coach Mark Montoya

Which is really fun um I always I always say there’s no thing as a perfect gym every Gym’s got things they’re great at and like coach Mark I mean I get to train with Eric one one of the best coach in the game and Nate but coach Mark Montoya has a different like

Philosophy and way of fighting so it’s kind of cool to go out there and work with him uh he helped out a lot got to work with uh Josh F who was fun uh I got beat up by uh what’s his name Justin jacobe who’s like just better than me I

Was like yeah justtin your cob one of those guys you Spar them like you’re just better than me like all right fine like screw it so it was a good experience though got some uh different mentality about things but as far as the Shawn thing um I See Shawn every day of

Of the week like Monday except for Sundays Thank God now it used to be seven days a week but now I see him uh Monday through Saturday so I don’t know he’s always uh we got two different fights two different camps but he’s always there he’s always helpful so

Spend a lot more time with Sean is probably healthy for a normal person yeah even Jesus needed one day off right [ __ ] right God he he he bought he bought his house so like now like I don’t come home but have him yelling at me you

Don’t know how many times we live like literally across like from here to the wall from each other so I come home first I hear like Kurt Kurt I’m just like oh my God like bro go home I’ll be in my house he’s just there I’ll be in

My bathroom open the door like go your problem is Kurt I was like I know I’m taking a [ __ ] bro like what’s my problem though so it’s kind of nice not having the random sha appearances is uh the Colorado stuff all kind of part of this mental refresh you’re trying to do

Getting off social media just maybe trying a little bit of a break here is this all kind of part of the plan most definitely like I I think my biggest thing is like so I’m someone who’s very hard on himself like I’ve always been hard on myself

I’ve always wanted to be better than the guy next to me and when I’m not it like eats me up inside so I think the big issue for me was like the nas de fight the last fight was such a dumb fight for me to like in hindsight all of my

Coaches and my managers were like you should probably take some time after the Kelvin fight it was a really hard camp like I was mentally and physically I was I was kind of beat up from the camp but more so anything mentally I was [ __ ]

Tired bro like I was really tired I was frustrated I beat myself up that camp and then have it go on that way and the fight that I thought like came down to like one moment in the second round it freaking like crushed me man so like to immediately go to another fight

Everybody around me was like Chris we should probably wait a little bit but uh I’ve known my hav’t known my entire life for making bad choices and not listening so for me instead of like you know taking time to refresh and come to grips of stuff I’m like I’ll just jump back in

And do [ __ ] and went back to another hard physical Camp when I was already like mentally not in the greatest space and like that entire that was a miserable Camp bro that was such a miserable Camp I’m so like mad about Nas no about the uh gasum thing I’m trying

To like figure out what went wrong and it just it was just dumb and like I should have listened so uh this we got this one we’re cool with it fine uh my coaches and my manager all know that I need you know I’m really good on like

Five five weeks I’m always in shape five weeks is perfect so they’re like hey man let’s keep training but let’s go do some [ __ ] get away from Vegas get away from all the same people see different things like you know like train hard all you want but do it somewhere else like see

Things have fun so that was a big thing is you know Colorado was a good experience but it was fun for me and like I haven’t really been having fun in Camp in like a few years now honestly since I got to the UFC which is kind of

Like ironic but you know try to try to make it more fun for myself and just you know enjoy remember I I enjoy this like I love this hey Chris right here uh so you mentioned hey what’s up nothing much good to talk to you um so uh you

Mentioned going to factory X and obviously um I don’t think he was there for this camp but Julian Marquez I know fought Mark Andre last year um was it you know good for the coaching staff to sort of hone in on Mark Andre just because Julian Was preparing him for him

Last year anyways uh ironically we didn’t hone in on Mark Andre at all it was more so about not so much who I’m fighting because who who you fight changes who you fight I mean he could like I I like Mark Andre like you know cross your fingers he could like trip

Down the stairs break his ankle today I could be fighting somebody else come Saturday so it’s not always so much is about who you’re fighting that that’s going to change there’s always different uh intangibles in that it’s more so about what am I consistently doing or not doing that’s creating issue so that

Was something kind of nice too like I’m not I’m trying to focus Less on the guy I’m fighting and more about okay like how can I make myself a more consistent package because honestly I have to remember that I’m damn good at what I do I just there are things I do

Consistently well and there are things I do consistently bad so it’s kind of now we’re just hey let’s keep doing the things we do great let’s keep doing it but let’s start uh cutting back on a few of those things we do consistently bad that are getting me in trouble at this

Level how different are things going into this fight than say your last one just because of the switch up in Camp like you said not you know on social media not doing much media um how are things different for you uh God personalized it’s great like being off

Social media was such a godsend like oh man like I don’t really want to go back like I was back on for like four days because I needed a so hey fun story uh if you guys ever don’t have a phone number you don’t have social media you

Are [ __ ] like it is no one has phone numbers like none of my teammates have each other this is miserable so I had to get back on to get a phone number from a teammate now I’m back off again but like even those three days on man you realize

Like you spend time Doom scrolling you’re kind of like oh nothing’s going on pop your phone up when you’re scrolling and what do you see you see people like a lot of fake [ __ ] you see people like all these [ __ ] Fitness influencers doing their BS all the other

Influencers doing their BS you see uh people complaining about [ __ ] people dying and what it’s such it’s so toxic for your mind like uh you know me even me and my lady we both uh got off social media and she’s like yeah she got back

On to post some stuff and she’s like oh this is miserable three like three days in she’s like I’m depressed so just being unplugged from it and then as far as the sport am I he micro uh being unplugged from as far as the sport goes

Too like I have really great fans but I think that just I get overwhelmed with the interactions at times and I’m actually a combative person I’m a talkative person so I get drawn into that like that uh downward spiral too quickly it’s just it’s just who I am and

Everybody’s different some guys you know it rolls off their backs for me for the most part I’m fine but like you know if I’m feeling a certain way that day it’s going to strike a nerve I’m going to be on a war path it’s just better to be

Unplugged from it man like uh like I said before it’s a lot of Peace of Mind for me um we’re still battling that part in Camp to where I’m constantly judging myself and I’m never happy with anything I do it’s great like we film all my sparring and it’s freaking wonderful

Because every day I feel like I lose sparring every single day like this entire Camp I’m like I lost my rounds and my coaches are like I don’t even know why we talk to you just go watch the video I’ll go watch the video I won

My rounds but like it’s never enough for me and that’s just a personal thing I got to figure that [ __ ] out I don’t know what to do uh I kind of I kind of uh Envy sea in that point man I’ve never seen a dude who’s got the ability to be

Heated and then just let it roll off his back be like okay well moving on and like I I I got to uh that’s something I got to take from him actually so we’re working on that but this Camp’s just been great man like I’ve kind of

Unplugged we still have those uh those mental battles but I’ve kind of just unplugged from it all and just focus on me and Mark Andre everything else you know it’s noise I’ll deal with it later speaking of Strickland are you do you like being on the same card as him or

Would you prefer to you know not be on the on the card just because your coaches will be tied up and all that right uh I think we’re we’re far enough apart it’s not going to be too bad um it’s kind of weird like it’s it’s cool I

Don’t think I’ve ever fought in the same car before it kind of sucks though because I prefer to have him in his corner I prefer to be like more supportive than I am now but uh I’m a big boy he’s a big boy we’ll be fine but

Uh honestly I kind of like it like I don’t I’m probably only up here right now because Strickland’s headlining This and like like okay well he’s so like hey you know what I love being up here but uh I I’ll definitely like use a like ride in the wake of uh the Strickland

Show and just uh it’s fun for me to see you guys have to deal with it and uh it’s really fun being there on fight week and being so close to watch everyone else have to suffer like how do you do this I’m like yeah I’m a [ __ ]

Saint like you guys yeah I’m a saint you guys owe me and just last one for me who will be in your corner for this fight if if Sean isn’t uh go to my teammates Devon uh here he’s going to be here with me along with uh Nate and everybody else

Uh Devin’s about as awkward and Pace heavy guy as you can get who’s not Mark Andre just an awkward guy he’s gonna run at you punching try to push you in the cage try to shoot taked down so Devon’s just an awkward awkward awkward freaking round so he’s going to be here just

Helping me this week whatnot but honestly we’ve got like half of extreme coutur big guy practice here so fun times Chris right here you mentioned uh sorry talking okay I was like what’s happening all right you mentioned how toxic things are uh online I think in

Vancouver you met one of your trolls was it Vancouver yeah it was Vancouver yeah have you met anyone here uh no actually here’s been cool but I haven’t left my room really but yeah here’s been fine but yeah I did meet a troll in Vancouver which only goes to serve you know it

Only like reinforces my point I I’ll say this people like oh if you can’t handle criticism not everybody who says it’s it’s a troll I’m like no bro like once again I’ve never met anybody in person who can keep the same energy as they have online it’s just makes me realize

Like I said before man like social media is just a refuge of cowards and I I I just don’t have the patience for it anymore I’m old I’ve got kids like I wake up my knees hurt now I just don’t have the patience for it man I just

Really don’t I feel bad um you know Mark Andre has said that you are his ticket to the top 15 does that add any motivation uh for you coming Saturday uh I mean I mean not really honestly I was Brandon Allen’s ticket I was Phil Hall’s ticket and a lot of other people’s

Tickets and I sent them right back [ __ ] Phil Brandon Allen got there so good job him he’s killing [ __ ] but uh everyone says that and people like oh you’re a gatekeeper I’m like okay but you still can’t come in like you can come in G

Keeper all you want you can’t come in so like yeah so you can believe that and that’s fine like Mark Andre is tough I like Mark Andre but everything you do you’re good at I’m better at I think I’m a better Striker than you I’m think I’m

A better Gra than you uh I think honestly my cardio matches yours if not better so like I don’t not I’m not really sure what your plan is you’re either going to have to push me against the cage and try to stall for all life which I’m better in the clinch than you

And I’ll cut you down or you going to try to play outside and uh you know try to pull my least favorite game plan and that’s fine we spent a lot of time working on that anyway so uh I mean I can be a ticket all you want a lot of

[ __ ] misf flights happen every day man so it’s whatever just a quick one you said you haven’t left your room is that just the weather it is cold here it is a Frozen hellscape and like I I love Canada I love can I guys really do I love Toronto

You guys are awesome but it is a frozen cold like just I don’t why I don’t know why you live here it’s is like the opposite end of the spectrum from uh Phoenix right now and Phoenix is too hot for people to live like it’s too cold to

Be here I got beautiful city but I hate I hate the weather here and this is [ __ ] miserable this has been a warm winter I from Ohio which makes me a shame everybody from Ohio is right now what the [ __ ] you talking about like I’ve been out of Ohio for like seven or

Eight years now and I’ve lost my cold weather immunity like the combination ver like you know honestly I’m not going to lie I’m being a [ __ ] about it and second like uh I’m really skinny right now I was like really good camp a lot of cardio my body fats really low so like

Every wind every Breeze just cutting through me like I am like I’m I’m old guys I’m [ __ ] this like last year is the first year like I wake up my knees hurt so now I wake up today and I’m like why are we here I’m looking around I was

Look out my window I was like why do we like I I love you guys like can we come here when it’s warm like why did we do this this is so weird I hate this there are warm places Chris front right here um will you talk to the referee about

Headbutts and stuff when he’s coming in to give you your you like go over the rules and stuff I mean no because apparently like I have uh who was it was it the last one mardine that’s there the rules between a clash of heads and a head butt are stupid like

So they called Herzog I think it was Herzog wasn’t it called uh the Gast a clash of heads but I was like I was moving I was above him and he came up I didn’t come down I was up and going backwards I he it was weird and then the

Gas the IMA fight they like oh it was a clash of heads I was like I was moving backwards in UK like I don’t so you know what it doesn’t matter because like I mean I no matter what happened it’s going to be a clash of heads so unless

He’s like diving forward so just not going to I can’t worry about it like I can’t it’s uh it’s in the past it happens it’s not the first time or the second time or third time I’ve been headbutted uh being a southpaw it’s one of those things that like everyone’s oh

You’re a southpaw you’re lucky like well the opposite side of that is like you’re G to get run into when you’re a 510 Southpaw so it is what it is man like [ __ ] it I can’t worry about it I’m just sitting here like I’m expecting to get

Stitches like it’s fine well Mark Andre said he promises to keep it clean no headbutts dude Mark Andre is a good dud dude I like him and like I don’t think he’d do it intentionally but also we just happen to fly into apparently I

Just have like a I got a big ass head so apparently it has a orbit it has a gravity and like shit’s just pulled into it so I don’t I don’t know man I know he’s a good dude Mark I like Mark Andre but I’m I’m expecting get stitches from

A headbutt today so or Saturday I just accept it like all right you know such is life it’s fine hi Chris one over here hi Chris one over here on this side to your right no was thought it was him talking here um oh o so the first time I

Ever interviewed you is way back in June 2018 if you can remember you just got that huge I don’t remember yesterday huge n Contender series you didn’t get signed and you told me that day you were done with MMA you fought 17 times since then not that it’s going to happen

Anytime soon what what does the perfect retirement look like for you when when that day finally comes what you just asked is the scariest question you can ask a professional fighter especially professional fighter that’s in his mid-30s like or technically like late mid to late 30s now uh I don’t know man

I I don’t know what that day looks like I have been doing this professionally for like 13 years now 14 years um I kind of put all my eggs in one basket man I closed off a lot of other avenues when I was younger to pursue

This like this is what I I’m sorry my phone is going off this is annoying uh this is what I chose to do man ever since I was a you know 12-year-old kid this is all I’ve ever wanted to do was fight people uh I thought it’d be more like Street fighter

And Tekken and like like cool [ __ ] and lasers and whatnot but it’s not a thing but all I’ve ever wanted to do was fight and after contenders I was so heartbroken because like not only just want to fight but like I think the first UFC I ever watched my father my dad had

A VHS of Tito and was it Tito and vtor I think it was Tito and vtor is the UFC and the Bayou whatever the hell that one was maybe it was VOR and uh vay I don’t know but ever since then I was like I’m going

To I’m going to be in the UFC like I want to be in the UFC I want to be in the UFC and I was what content I was like 30 132 in contenders whatever and I was already getting up there I already had like been passed over a bunch for the

Opportunity to fight in the UFC you know I felt I was ready and getting that door closed in my face broke me man I was like I’ve given my entire life for this all I wanted to do was being the Big Show and not just be there I wanted to

See how far I can go so like have that door closed in your face like hurts man like when your entire identity is Chris the fighter like what do you do when you’re denied you know your chance to be you know on the biggest platform on the

World on the big stage so that hurt a lot man but uh hey we uh we kept at it we kept fighting because I love fighting I don’t know what else I’m going to do like I really didn’t level up any other skills besides unarmed combat like I

Can’t go be a botanist or whatever like no man all my points wouldn’t unarmed combat so it’s cool to be here it’s cool that worked but as far as like where’s the end like I don’t know man that’s the scary part like when does Jim Miller

Think it’s over like how old is he like 41 yeah freaking uh even in this division Alone um what is his name large other large Blackman like top five caner caner thank you yeah good work caner is like what 4 39 40 uh yeah 40 freaking uh

Even prayer is like 39 up there 36 little over me so you know there’s people older than me you know I I like to look at them like wi’s enough is enough man I think everybody wants to be on top everybody even more so than that everybody wants

To see how far they can go so it’s kind of hard to know like when’s it over like when my body can’t do it anymore I I have one more much less scary question oh all right that was that was dark I just about the main event I assume

You’re picking sea to win I would hope so anyway uh what’s how do you break that down how does he get it done oh man I this is going to be a circus like I want to use people use the term War I prefer circus like there are

Certain Fighters that have wars and there are certain Fighters that like create circuses like uh Julian Arosa is another fighter julan doesn’t have wars I call those circuses because you’re just like what the hell’s happening like things start like he starts doing weird stuff like they’re like he’s he’s a

Circus guy and I think dcus is a circus guy man like I’ve never I would never like hold drus up as like the Pinnacle of like kickboxing technique like a technical kickboxer but it’s just weird he’s running at you like it’s almost like Angry flailing and like it’s like

Feral almost but like it creates a circus so that’s the big unknown for me uh people like oh his cardio is better now like you’re not going to Tire Shawn out like we’ll have three people attack sea he’s still like he he’ll die before he let somebody like outwork him so he’s

Not going to outwork Sean I don’t see that anywhere he’s not going to hold Shawn down I’ve seen Shawn like essentially squat onab to get up like it’s not worried about drias holding him down um I’m just curious about how messy this gets like drus is a messy guy sea

Tends to be messy and Pockets but he likes to uh he tends to be very clean so it’s it’s completely different Clash of style and mentality I I just don’t know how it goes if anything I think drus is most dangerous his first round and a half maybe two

Rounds even with the uh what’s the last fight he had to look really good uh Whitaker he got he looked better in the Whitaker fight but like as a fighter I’ll say he slowed down the second round like I watched it slow down but Whitaker slowed down more never really got

Started so his cardio did look better but like I watched him slow down there in a fight that like he controlled the pace even at the pace he controlled he kind of like couldn’t maintain it the way he wanted and you know I watched I cornered sea when he fight aboose off of

Like 11 days notice and like keep pushing the pace pushing the pace until we had to say hey man I went in the second third round I told him like slow down like I need you to slow down like you won’t I know you’re not going to

Stop but I need you to stop for me so we don’t do this so the first round and a half I think drus is going to be really dangerous it’s be really scary but the moment we hit past a one and a half rounds I think Sean’s gonna absolutely [ __ ] dog walk him

UFC 297 fighter Chris Curtis spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at media day for his main card bout vs. Marc-Andre Barriault on Saturday in Toronto.

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