Nicksick Criticizes UFC Vegas 101 Stoppage
Eric Nicksick, Chris Curtis’ coach, said the controversial finish of Curtis’ fight with Roman Kopylov was only part of his frustration with referee Mark Smith at Vegas 101. Speaking on his Versus Us podcast, Nicksick focused on how Smith handled earlier interruptions and fouls, while acknowledging Curtis should not have been caught by the finishing kick.
Kopylov’s head kick ended the fight at 4:59
Kopylov stopped Curtis by TKO with a high kick at 4:59 of Round 3 on Jan. 11, 2025. Referee Mark Smith waved off the middleweight bout with one second left. Kopylov had landed the kick and turned away as Curtis went down; Curtis and his corner immediately objected to the stoppage. The official results record lists the finish as a high-kick TKO at 4:59.
Nicksick’s criticism centered on earlier interruptions
Nicksick said Curtis had asked about how the referee would address possible stalling before the fight. According to Nicksick, the team was given an answer that did not match what they saw during the bout. He pointed to a sequence involving Curtis’ mouthpiece coming out, a groin strike and an eye poke, and said he had asked Smith why no point was deducted after the fouls.
He also accepted responsibility for the position Curtis was in when the finish came. “If you don’t want Mark to make that call, then don’t get head kicked,” Nicksick said, before describing the stoppage itself as questionable. He later acknowledged Curtis likely would have lost on the scorecards if the fight had continued.
Nicksick said his concerns with Smith predated the bout and described feeling that his team had to contend with the referee as well as its opponent. He called Smith an egomaniac and said he planned to find out whether he could formally ask that Smith not referee future fights involving his team. Those are Nicksick’s allegations and opinions; they do not establish that Smith acted with bias.
The sequence and Nicksick’s remarks were reported by MMA Fighting; the bout result is recorded by the official fighter profile.
