New champ Santo Curatolo predicts another first-round finish in climb to UFC
For Cage Fury Fighting Championships flyweight titleholder Santo Curatolo, life hasn't changed much since claiming his belt two months ago.
"Nothing's different at all," Curatolo said. "I don't feel any different. It feels good, though. It feels nice, but I honestly don't feel any different. I always have bigger goals."
Curatolo's run through the CFFC flyweight division has been nothing short of spectacular. Five fights, five wins, five first-round finishes. The 25-year-old Nick Catone MMA product is proud of what he's done so far, and his belt is displayed in a glass case in his home, but Curatolo said winning that title was no reason to slow down.
"I always feel like if I don't take any damage, why not just get right back to it?" Curatolo said. "Plus it keeps me motivated. It gives me something to look forward to. If I have a fight coming up, I'm constantly motivated, I'm constantly hungry, and I'm constantly in the gym. That's what I need, anyway, because I'm preparing for the long-term. I'm preparing for the guys in the UFC, so if I want to be ready for them, I have to be training 24-7 anyway."
The champ looks for the first defense of his title in the main event of Friday's CFFC 87 event, which streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS from 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. Curatolo (5-0) meets promotional newcomer Alberto Trujillo (4-1) and said he's excited about the quick turnaround.
"I didn't take any time off after my last win," Curatolo said. "I mean I took a little bit of time off from hard, hard training, but I'm always still building the software, learning the techniques, doing film study and constantly trying to upgrade my knowledge and skills."
Trujillo is a bit of a finisher, himself, with two rear-naked choke victories to his name, but Curatolo said he doesn't generally spend too much time breaking down his opponents' tendencies.
"I don't really watch my opponent because I truly do believe my striking and my grappling are world-class and top in the world, so I watch them just for about a minute or two," Curatolo said. "I want to really look at their height, their stance, their style – if they're a striker or a grappler – and then that's really it. That's all I really need to know.
"My coaches do watch a little tape, but they also believe in me just as much as I believe in myself. They trust me, and they trust my approach, and we just kind of leave it at that. We're always building my striking. We're always building my grappling."
And that's why Curatolo isn't satisfied as CFFC champ. His goal is to be in the UFC, and he has faith that invite will come his way sooner rather than later. That said, he doesn't allow himself to have any expectations ahead of his fights.
"I would love to go to the UFC," Curatolo said. "I'm ready. I'm 100 percent ready. I know I'm ready. I spar with UFC guys, and I know I'm there. If it happens, it happens, but I don't want to have high expectations and then I end up getting disappointed, so I'm not expecting anything, but it would be nice. It would be really nice.
"I want to move on with my career, and I want to start taking out some big names. I want to be a superstar. I love this sport. I'm so passionate about it, and I know I have what it takes. I'm ready. It's just whether these guys want to take me in or not. I'm sure there's plenty of guys that they're looking at, but I don't know if there's guys knocking people out like I am, so I want them to call me."
Another first-round finish, and Curatolo might be a difficult man to ignore. A perfect first-round finishing rate is impressive in any weight class, but it's nearly unheard of in the flyweight division. Curatolo believes he can add another name to his list at CFFC 87.
"I believe I'm going to take him out before we even hit the halfway mark in the first round," Curatolo said. "I think I'm going to knock him out. If he tries to grab me, I'm going to beat him up inside the clinch. I'm going to knee his body. I'm going to elbow him in the face, and before you know it, he's just going to be curled up in a ball on the ground, like all my opponents. That's how all my fights have ended: Them on the ground, just curled up. I think that's how it's going to go."
