Chris Curtis

Chris 'The Action Man' Curtis is one of MMA's great late-bloomer stories. He spent more than a decade and dozens of fights grinding through the regional scene, repeatedly knocking on the door of the big leagues, before finally earning his UFC chance and making the most of it with immediate knockout wins.

A pressure-boxing brawler with a deep striking background, Curtis fights the way fans want to watch: forward, heavy-handed and hunting the finish. He has banked performance bonuses and slotted in as a dangerous middleweight who can hurt anyone, even as he trades results with the division's ranked names like Kelvin Gastelum and Nassourdine Imavov.

Beyond the violence, Curtis has become a fan favorite for his personality, an honest, funny and self-aware veteran who never forgets how long the road to the UFC was. Win or lose, he guarantees action, and his everyman story makes him one of the more beloved figures on any card he fights on.