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Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer
UFC middleweight Chris Curtis suffered a torn hamstring during his Fight of the Year contender against Brendan Allen last weekend in Las Vegas.
Curtis (31-11) appeared to injure his right leg in the final seconds of a split decision loss to Allen at UFC Fight Night. MRI scans confirmed this week he suffered a Grade 3 tear of his hamstring, which is nearly a complete tear of the muscle.
Curtis, 36, revealed the extent of the injury on social media and said he is “waiting on more info.” His representatives at Iridium Sports Agency told ESPN he is exploring options for recovery. If he is able to avoid surgery, he should be able to return in six to eight weeks. If the injury does require surgery, he would likely be out closer to six months.
The five-round 185-pound fight was closely contested throughout, with Curtis walking forward and Allen scoring several key takedowns. It was a rematch of a fight that took place in 2021. Curtis won the first meeting via TKO and has already called for an eventual trilogy bout. Curtis accepted both fights on short notice, after Allen’s original opponents withdrew with injury.
Curtis fell to 2-3 in his past five contests with the loss, but he remains the UFC’s No. 14-ranked middleweight. Allen is ranked No. 6.