Morning Report: Chris Curtis explains feud, reconciliation with Sean Strickland: ‘I will f*cking cripple you’

Sean Strickland and Chris Curtis are on the identical web page once more. For now.

Curtis is a longtime coaching associate of the previous UFC middleweight champion Strickland—who has an opportunity to regain his title when he rematches Dricus du Plessis in the primary occasion of UFC 312 on Feb. 8 in Sydney—with the 2 having been in one another’s coaching camps and corners for a number of the greatest fights of their respective careers.

Nonetheless, a rift fashioned between the fighters in 2024, which made it unclear if they might proceed working collectively. Based on Curtis, who fights Roman Kopylov at UFC Vegas 101 this Saturday, all the pieces is copacetic forward of their upcoming fights, although the inciting incident that just about cut up them aside was as ugly because it will get.

“Perceive that I’ve recognized Sean Strickland longer than most individuals,” Curtis mentioned at UFC Vegas 101 media day on Wednesday (h/t MMA Junkie). “I’ve recognized Sean happening, like, 10 years now, so it’s all the time humorous when individuals are like, ‘Neglect it, recover from it.’ You guys know the character of Sean. I’ve been on this for, like, 10 years now. And there are occasions the place I’ve debated hitting him with a brick. Not even joking, I’m like, ‘Bro, I’m going to hit you with a f*cking brick. I don’t care the place it goes.’

“This time led to a fistfight as properly and we have been actually about to throw down and all the gymnasium was like, ‘Are you guys actually doing this?’ We’re about to truly throw down. I’m threatening to cripple him earlier than he fights Dricus, like, ‘I’ll f*cking cripple you.’

Curtis and Strickland’s relationship has all the time been a curious one given their vastly completely different personalities outdoors of the cage. Whereas Curtis has develop into a popular elder statesmen recognized for his affable interviews, Strickland has steadily drawn consideration to himself with hateful and offensive feedback, which have led to criticism from media and followers, but additionally contributed to his rising recognition.

Placing all that apart, Curtis acknowledged how vital it’s to have Strickland sharing the cage with him on the gymnasium with each males chasing vital wins.

“So we get out of hand, however I’ve recognized Sean for a very long time,” Curtis mentioned. “We do have our personal points and there’s shit we’ll nonetheless want to debate and speak about and form of put all the pieces up entrance, however proper now this battle’s vital to me. I can’t lose two in a row, I can’t. Particularly after the final fights the place I assumed I had it. For my very own psychological well-being, it’s actually exhausting to lose two in a row so I have to deal with this. And he’s going on the market to battle for a UFC title and get his belt again. We don’t have time to deal with shit that’s not conducive to the aim.

“One in all my favourite sayings ever, ‘Singularity and function.’ Every thing we’ve got to do proper now could be with the only function of attaining this subsequent aim, so we’ll get alongside effective. We’ll be effective for now, we figured it out, we’re form of simply shifting previous it. We’ll deal with it sooner or later. On the finish of the day, I’m all the time going to be pulling for him. I would like him to f*cking succeed.”

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All of us have that good friend who’s a routine line stepper, don’t we? I hope none of you might have ever received to the purpose the place you felt you needed to throw a brick at them or threaten to trigger them critical damage.

And you probably have, I actually hope issues labored out later. Go give somebody a hug and by no means be too proud to say you’re sorry (except the opposite individual is being an actual jerkwad, in fact).

In the event you discover one thing you’d prefer to see within the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKlee or @JedKMeshew on Twitter and tell us about it. Additionally, comply with MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and like us on Fb.