Chris Curtis talks with Pat Miletich at CES 32.
Chris Curtis: “I’m Going To Give Wilfredo Santiago Trouble”
Chris Curtis: “I’m Going To Give Wilfredo Santiago Trouble”
Photos by Will Paul – CES MMA
Chris “The Action Man” Curtis defends his CES MMA welterweight title against challenger Wilfredo Santiago in the main event of CES 42 on March 31 at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I., LIVE on AXS TV.
Before that, the Team Quest fighter sat down with MyMMANews.com.
MyMMANews.com: Where do you keep your CES belt?
Curtis: Originally it was in my son’s bedroom – he’s the belt-keeper, he has two of my other pro belts. But now, it is on this awesome display case I built for my living room out of milk crates – it’s way cooler than it sounds.
MyMMANews.com: Do you think it will feel better to defend your title than it did to win it the first time, or will it be the same?
Curtis: That’s a good question – I actually don’t know. I think winning it is still the best feeling, especially because no one gave me a chance in hell of beating Gil de Freitas. It feels good in its own way to just say, “it isn’t a fluke, I’m still better than all of you.” Especially after the Nah-Shon Burrell B.S.
MyMMANews.com: How do you win this fight?
Curtis: Angles. Footwork and angles. I have better wrestling and conditioning. Style-wise, I’ve always been a boxer. I’m going to give him trouble.
MyMMANews.com: How does Wilfredo beat you, if he wins this fight?
Curtis: In boxing, they always say, “punchers aren’t made, they’re born.” You’re born a puncher, or you’re not. It’s a good thing he’s a puncher and he’s got to land that overhand right. He’s got to figure out how to cut the cage off and land that punch. But man, I’m really hard to hit. Even when you do hit me, I’ve got a damned good chance. It’s going to be a hard night of him trying to cut the cage off, him trying to beat me on angles and land that punch.
MyMMANews.com: Where would you like to be one year from today?
Curtis: I would love to be in the top fifteen in the UFC but I’ve been struggling to get there. I’ve beaten guys who’ve got that call, I’ve beat guys who’ve done well. I’m going to keep doing everything I can to impressively win fights and work my way towards the top of my division.
