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UFC Vegas 90, Allen Vs Curtis 2: For 'The Action Man' It Will Be A Brand New Fight

The last time the duo met in the octagon, Chris Curtis came out victorious via TKO in second round. Here is an exclusive interview with Curtis ahead of their big fight

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UFC Vegas 90, Allen Vs Curtis 2 Photo: X/@ufc
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About two and a half years since the two last met, Brendan Allen and Chris Curtis are set to face off again with their clash set to headline the upcoming UFC Vegas 90 card taking place on April 6. (More Sports News)

The last time the duo met in the octagon, Curtis came out victorious via TKO in second round. Since that win however, 'The Action Man' has struggled to be consistent. In his 6 bouts since then, Curtis has won only 3, losing twice and one turning into a no contest.

However, he will take a lot of confidence from his 'Peformance of the Night' showing when he last met Brendan Allen, the 'All In'.

Curtis talked about the upcoming match and his MMA career and training ahead of UFC Vegas 90. Here are the excerpts of an exclusive interview with Curtis -- felicitated by Sony Network, the official broadcaster of UFC in India -- ahead of his big fight.

Q

How has the camp been? Have you trained on any specific area of your game for this fight?

A

Camp has been great, especially since it's only been two weeks long, So I don't have to do much. Fortunately, I train seven days a week, year-round, so I don't have to prepare much for the fight. As far as specifics go, we worked on my grappling as always, but I grapple multiple times a week, even outside of camps, so we don't have to change anything. The plan was to go out there and just do what I always do. If we get taken down, we work out way up to go back to work.

Question:

Q

Do you think you have the psychological advantage over Brendan Allen considering you defeated him in your previous meeting?

A

I don't think it's a psychological edge. Brendan has gone on a good win streak since we fall. No matter what happens, that gives you confidence of being there. I'm 2-1 and he is 7-0 since we fall, now he will be feeling good. To be headlining a massive fight card and fight to his level, you must be confident. I think he's really focused on winning and trying to get to a title shot. To me this is a brand-new fight. The first fight never happened, so we're going to go in here and we'll get it done.

Q

You once said you are a five-round fighter and that you will show something special in such a situation. Do you see your upcoming fight going to five-rounds and how well do you think you are prepared for that?

A

I am five-round fighter. I do much better with more time. You watch any of my fights, I always pick it up towards the second or third round. I always win. It's just the way I fight. It takes me a little bit of time to figure things out. I would love to see the match go to the fifth round. I think I can finish him in the fourth or fifth round. When the fight goes that long, we have five rounds. I think I put pressure, pace and just inflict damage that people don't do well with. I don’t know a lot of fighters can do that. I would love to push it into the fifth round.

Q

What made you choose a career in MMA?

A

I boxed when I was younger. Once I got into high school, I was bouncing around doing nothing, just being a delinquent and later, I got a job and I still loved fighting. I was a 19-year-old guy who used to try to get in the street fights with people all the time. But at 20, I had a kid. We found a boxing gym where we worked. So, we went out there, started working out there, and then we met some people from the main gym. I started training regularly and it turns out I got a whole lot better at fighting people. When I was in school, I wanted to be a lawyer and one day, I decided that I'd much rather fight people than be a lawyer, so I went all in on boxing and here I am.

Q

Last question, what does it take to be a UFC fighter mentally as well as physically?

A

To become a UFC fighter, it takes a lot of discipline. The physical part of the game is not that important. The big thing is you need to be mentally disciplined. And mentally more than anything, you must be willing to suffer. I've met many fighters over the years, coming to this sport and they're athletically gifted, but they don't have the capacity to suffer. In this sport, with the training and the lead up, even the way your career goes, sometimes it has a requirement that you have to have the capacity to suffer and without that I don't think you'll ever truly be great because everyone who is great has to suffer.

Watch UFC Fight Night: Curtis vs Allen on 7th April 2024 at 3:30 AM IST LIVE on Sony Sports Ten 2 SD & HD.