Armed with new focus, former champ Santo Curatolo itching to get back to work at CFFC 110
If you happen to see Santo Curatolo leading up to Thursday's CFFC 110 event, don't bother asking him about his readiness to compete.
"I've been ready for, like, five months now," Curatolo said. "I can't listen to the question, 'Are you ready?' anymore. I've been ready."
Curatolo, the former CFFC flyweight champion, hasn't seen action since this past September, when he was called up to Dana White's Contender Series but ended up suffering a decision loss to Brazilian standout Kleydson Rodrigues, who was then awarded a UFC deal.
Curatolo admits it was a frustrating experience but one that may have opened his eyes to some issues that needed to be addressed in his pursuit of a UFC contract.
"I feel like that fight in the Contender Series, it needed to happen," Curatolo said. "I think one of my biggest issues is my mind – like, my fight on the Contender Series, I was kind of checked out mentally and I didn't even want to be there. It was really weird, so that's the main thing with me. I have a mindset coach now, and I mean it starts from within. I think I'm really locked in."
Adding to Curatolo's drive, his wife recently gave birth to a baby girl, and he believes becoming a father has given him added purpose, as well.
"I'm really focused more than I ever have," Curatolo said. "My daughter may have something to do with that. I like to think she does, but whatever it is, I feel super locked in and super focused. I feel really aligned right now and I'm just ready to go. My technique, of course, all of that's gotten better. It has to. It's only going to get better with time. But more than anything is my head. You know, my head's in the right place."
Curatolo expected to make his return to the cage in May, only to have his bout scrapped the week of the fight when his opponent was forced to withdraw from the contest just a few days out and no suitable replacements could be found on short notice. Instead, he'll now return at Thursday's CFFC 110 event at Florida's Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa.
Curatolo (6-2) meets 16-year veteran Lloyd McKinney (15-8) for an interim flyweight title in the night's main event, which streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS.
Curatolo said a primary focus in the two months since he was originally scheduled has been on not overdoing it in his physical preparation.
"I didn't take time off," Curatolo said. "I had to just kind of calm myself down within my training, like day by day, because, you know, when I'm in the gym, in my head, I have a fight coming up, it's just a mental push. I go harder. I push myself harder, so I had to tell myself to just kind of chill out a little bit instead of killing myself every workout every day, you know? I had to just make sure I didn't over-peak."
Curatolo believes he's done everything right both physically and mentally ahead of Thursday's event. A big win puts another belt around his waist, setting up either a potential unification bout with reigning titleholder Phumi Nkuta – who is currently sidelined while recovering from surgery on his hand – or perhaps even another look from one of the sport's top promotions.
But Curatolo isn't letting himself consider those things just yet. Right now, it's all about turning in an impressive outing at CFFC 110.
"I guess it depends on how well I perform," Curatolo said. "I mean, I think if I come out and I put on an absolutely world-class performance, I look super well-rounded and I dominate the fight, it may be enough. If I come out and I just scratch out a decision win, it may not be enough, so I don't know.
"I mean, listen – high hopes all the time, of course, but I never have too many expectations. They just lead to disappointments, so I'm just going to take it one fight at a time and go in there and try to knock this kid out, and that's it. I'll see what offers come my way after that."
