Chris Curtis got paid.
With fighter pay being a very hot topic all day every day, rightfully so, ‘The Action Man’ got a big pay bump for stepping up on short notice. And what makes Curtis getting paid even better is the fact that earlier last year, he was fighting for less than $5000 on the MMA regional scene.
Curtis is stepping in on two-weeks notice to fight No. 8 ranked Jack Hermansson at UFC London on July 23.
Curtis got paid
On Monday, Curtis spoke about his pay raise on The MMA Hour.
“It’s a substantial pay bump. It’s a new contract and a substantial pay bump. So, everyone always says Kevin Holland is crazy for fighting so much on short notice. Now, I totally get why he does it, man. Like I can only imagine what Kevin Holland’s pay is right now because like, my pay bump was substantial. So like, yeah, the [UFC] definitely take care of you for doing these short-notice fights.”
Curtis explained how the fight came to be
“My manager popped up at the UFC P.I. and he’s like, ‘You should answer your phone first of all’, and then he’s like, ‘do you want to fight in two weeks?’ I’m like, Yeah, sure what’s going on,” Curtis said. “My manager said ‘I think we’re fighting Jack Hermansson and in two weeks,’ I said, Yes, and well, what’s in it for me? He’s like, ‘Well, the pay bump up.’
On top of getting a raise, Curtis will be cornered by the fighter he is replacing, Darren Till.
Last week Curtis reached out to Till on Twitter, to which the English fighter agreed via a gif.
— DT (@darrentill2) July 8, 2022
Curtis confirmed Till being in his corner on The MMA Hour.
“I’ve known Darren Till for a little bit, we’ve trained together. Actually, he’s gonna be in the corner. It’s happening,” Curtis said. “I think I’m going to have my coach, Eric [Nicksick] and Nate [Pettit]; then I’ll have Darren Till and Branden Loughnane in my corner as well.”
That is quite the corner for Curtis, and with Till and Loughnane in his corner, the Xtreme Couture fighter should get cheered instead of booed.
