Chris Curtis Beats Max Griffin by Split Decision
Chris Curtis returned to welterweight with a split-decision win over Max Griffin at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Teixeira in Nashville on July 12, 2025. After three competitive rounds fought almost entirely on the feet, the judges scored it 28-29, 29-28 and 29-28 for Curtis. The victory gave “The Action Man” a successful return to 170 pounds and stopped a two-fight skid.
Griffin took the early advantage
Griffin had the stronger opening round, finding the cleaner shots as the two veterans exchanged at range. An inadvertent clash of heads also opened a cut above Curtis’ right eye. The incident did not end the fight, and Curtis continued to press forward as the bout developed.
The middle round brought Curtis back into the contest. He increased his forward pressure, worked behind combinations and made Griffin respond rather than dictate every exchange. Neither fighter secured a finish or a decisive grappling advantage; the fight remained a three-round striking battle, with both men having moments that could influence the scorecards.
A close final round and a split verdict
Both welterweights found openings in the third. Griffin landed effective counters, while Curtis kept moving forward and answered with his own offense. That competitive final stretch explains the split decision: one judge awarded Griffin the fight 29-28, while the other two gave Curtis 29-28 scores.
The official result was a split decision for Curtis, not a knockout or submission. He earned the win in his first UFC appearance at welterweight since 2020. Curtis had spent the intervening years competing at middleweight, so the Nashville bout tested how his pace and durability would carry over after the move back down. The result gave him a useful reset after consecutive losses, including a January 2025 stoppage loss to Roman Kopylov.
What the win means
For Curtis, the performance showed he could compete through adversity and keep working when an opponent took the first round. His pressure helped him draw level and make the judges’ decision close. The scorecards also underline how little separated the fighters over 15 minutes; the win was a solid step back into the welterweight division, not a definitive statement about the rankings.
Griffin was competitive throughout and had a credible case on the strength of his opening round and moments late in the fight. The loss came by a narrow split verdict rather than a finish, and his striking exchanges kept Curtis from controlling every minute. For fans searching for the Chris Curtis vs. Max Griffin result, the key facts are clear: Curtis won by split decision at UFC Fight Night in Nashville, with official scores of 28-29, 29-28 and 29-28.
