Chris Curtis is appealing the Florida State Athletic Commission to overturn his unanimous decision loss to Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 287 to a no-contest, citing an alleged headbutt that cost him a crucial round.
Chris Curtis believes he was treated unfairly at UFC 287, and he’s making his case to the regulators of his fight against Kelvin Gastelum. Curtis lost a unanimous decision to Gastelum with scores of 29-28 twice and 30-27. However, he thinks an alleged headbutt cost him a crucial round in the second when he was knocked down and had to fight back. Now, he is appealing to the Florida State Athletic Commission to overturn the result to a no-contest.
Curtis said on The MMA Hour that referee Marc Goddard did not stop the action during the second round and did not call any fouls. According to Curtis, the referee acknowledged a clash of heads but did not believe it was intentional, which would have required the action to be stopped and an assessment of his ability to continue. Curtis feels the fight should have been paused regardless. He argues that even if it was an accident, the action should have been stopped and a recovery time should have been allowed, just as it would have been if an accidental low blow occurred.
Curtis does not dispute that Gastelum won the first round, and he believes he won the third and final round. The second round was the closest, but Curtis points out that many of the significant strikes happened immediately after the clash of heads, making the headbutt even more critical. Curtis said that critics accusing him of sour grapes should focus on the reality of what happened in the octagon. While he acknowledges Gastelum’s comeback story, Curtis is adamant that he would win if they were to face each other again.
In addition to the result being overturned, Curtis hopes for a rematch with the one-time interim middleweight title challenger. He hasn’t approached the topic with the UFC yet, but he hopes the promotion and Gastelum will be receptive. Curtis said that not only was there a financial impact from the loss, but his career also took a hit from losing to a higher-ranked opponent. Despite the two winning “Fight of the Night,” Curtis feels a special sting in not being able to claim victory.