Curtis Millender (born December 1, 1987)[1] is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2013, Millender has formerly competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellator MMA, Professional Fighters League (PFL), and Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA).
| Curtis Millender | |
|---|---|
 Curtis Milender at UFC 232 in Inglewood, California, United States | |
| Born | Curtis Millender[1] December 1, 1987 Anaheim, California, United States |
| Other names | Curtious |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 171 lb (78 kg; 12.2 st) |
| Division | Welterweight |
| Reach | 76 in (193 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Anaheim, California, United States |
| Team | NOC Fight Team CSW (2016–present)[2] Team Bodyshop MMA (2021–present)[3] |
| Rank | Blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu under Erik Paulson |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Professional boxing record | |
| Total | 3 |
| Wins | 3 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 33 |
| Wins | 22 |
| By knockout | 7 |
| By decision | 15 |
| Losses | 10 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By submission | 5 |
| By decision | 3 |
| No contests | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Spouse | Ashley Richie (m. 2019) |
| Children | 2 |
| Boxing record from BoxRec | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Mixed martial arts career
editEarly career
editMillender began his professional MMA career in February 2013. During this period of his career, Millender competed exclusively for the California-based promotion, Fight Club OC. He compiled a perfect record of 7–0 in the organization, which included a three-round split decision victory over 10-6 Dominic Waters to become the FCOC welterweight champion.
Bellator MMA
editMillender was expected to make his promotional debut against Michael Page at Bellator 134 on February 27, 2015.[4] However, after a cut suffered by Page, Millender instead faced Brennan Ward at the event.[5] Millender lost the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the first round, resulting in the first professional loss of his career.[6]
Millender next faced Fernando Gonzalez at Bellator 137 on May 15, 2015.[7] He lost the fight via guillotine choke submission in the third round.[8] Millender was subsequently released from the promotion following his loss to Gonzalez.[9]
Millender returned to face Steven Ciaccio at Bellator 141 on August 28, 2015. He won the fight via unanimous decision.[10]
Millender faced Johnny Cisneros at Bellator 170 on January 21, 2017. He won the fight via TKO in the first round due to strikes.[11]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
editOn the heel of a six fight win streak, including three straight on the regional scene under the Legacy Fighting Alliance promotion, Millender signed with the UFC in January 2018.
Millender made his promotional debut against Thiago Alves on February 18, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 126.[12] He won the fight via a technical knockout in the second round.[13] This win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus.[14]
Millender faced Max Griffin on July 7, 2018, at UFC 226.[15] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[16]
Millender faced Siyar Bahadurzada on December 29, 2018, at UFC 232.[17] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[18]
Millender faced Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos on March 9, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 146.[19] He lost the fight via a submission in round one.[20]
Millender faced Belal Muhammad on April 13, 2019, at UFC 236.[21] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[22]
On November 3, 2019, it was announced that Millender had been released from the UFC.[23][24]
Return to Bellator
editIn November 2019, Millender announced that he had signed a contract with Bellator MMA.[24]
In his return to the promotion, Millender faced Moses Murrietta at Bellator 238 on January 25, 2020.[25] He won the fight by unanimous decision.
As the last fight of his prevailing contract, Millender faced Sabah Homasi at Bellator 243 on August 7, 2020.[26] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[27]
Professional Fighters League
editAlready an alternative for the season, Millender stepped in on short notice and replaced David Michaud for the whole PFL 2021 season. He faced Rory MacDonald on April 29, 2021, at PFL 2 as the start of the 2021 PFL Welterweight tournament.[28][29] He lost the bout in the first round via a rear-naked choke submission.[30]
Millender faced Magomed Magomedkerimov at PFL 5 on June 17, 2021.[31] He lost the bout via ezekiel choke submission in the first round.[32]
Millender, as a replacement for Sadibou Sy, was scheduled to face Gleison Tibau on August 13, 2021, at PFL 7.[33] On August 12, Millender was announced to have pulled out of the bout against Tibau.[34]
Post PFL
editMillender faced Jared Gooden on April 2, 2022, at XMMA 4.[35] He lost the bout after getting dropped in the second round from a leg kick and getting finished by ground and pound.[36]
Millender faced KB Bhullar on September 23, 2022, at Unified MMA 46. The bout ended in a no contest after an eye poke left Millender unable to continue.[37]
Millender faced Salaiman Ahmadyar for the UNF Middleweight Championship on January 28, 2023, at UNF 4, winning the bout via TKO stoppage at the end of the first round.[38]
Millender rematched KB Bhullar on March 31, 2023, at Unified MMA 50, winning the bout via unanimous decision.[39]
Millender then defended his UNF Middleweight Championship against Sidiah Parker at UNF 11 on September 2, 2023.[40] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[41]
Millender faced Joel Bauman at Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 6 on November 10, 2023.[42] He won the fight via split decision.[43]
Millender faced Alexander Shlemenko at Shlemenko FC 10 on June 1, 2024. [44] He lost the fight via first round TKO. [45]
Boxing career
editMillender made his professional boxing debut against John Mercurio on February 17, 2022, winning via second-round knockout.
He made his sophomore appearance in the sport against Ke-ali’i Kanekoa at BYB Extreme Trigon Combat on April 27, 2023.[46] He won the bout via second-round knockout.[47]
He then faced Ryan Ford on May 26, 2023.[48] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[49]
Personal life
editMillender has two sons: Curtis Jr. and Carter. Millender is currently married to his long time girlfriend Ashley Richie now Ashley Millender. The two were married June 23, 2019. July 2020 they welcomed another baby boy Cross.
Championships and accomplishments
editMixed martial arts
edit- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Thiago Alves[14]
- Fight Club OC
- FCOC Welterweight Championship (Two times)
- One successful title defense
- FCOC Welterweight Championship (Two times)
- Lights Out Promotion
- Lights Out Welterweight Championship (One time)
- Up Next Fighting
- UNF Middleweight Championship (one time; current)
- One successful title defense
- UNF Middleweight Championship (one time; current)
Mixed martial arts record
edit| 33 matches | 22 wins | 10 losses |
| By knockout | 7 | 2 |
| By submission | 0 | 5 |
| By decision | 15 | 3 |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 22–10 (1) | Alexander Shlemenko | TKO (punches and elbows) | Shlemenko FC 10 | June 1, 2024 | 1 | 4:19 | Omsk, Russia | |
| Win | 22–9 (1) | Joel Bauman | Decision (split) | Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 6 | November 10, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Biloxi, Mississippi, United States | Bare knuckle MMA. |
| Win | 21–9 (1) | Sidiah Parker | Decision (unanimous) | UNF 11 | September 2, 2023 | 5 | 5:00 | Burbank, California, United States | Defended the UNF Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 20–9 (1) | KB Bhullar | Decision (unanimous) | Unified MMA 50 | March 31, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Enoch, Alberta, Canada | |
| Win | 19–9 (1) | Salaiman Ahmadyar | TKO (punches) | UNF 4 | January 28, 2023 | 1 | 4:55 | Commerce, California, United States | Won the UNF Middleweight Championship. |
| NC | 18–9 (1) | KB Bhullar | NC (accidental eye poke) | Unified MMA 46 | September 23, 2022 | 1 | 1:34 | Enoch, Alberta, Canada | Middleweight debut. Accidental eye poke rendered Bhullar unable to continue. |
| Loss | 18–9 | Jared Gooden | TKO (leg kick and punches) | XMMA 4: Black Magic | April 2, 2022 | 2 | 0:16 | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | |
| Loss | 18–8 | Magomed Magomedkerimov | Submission (ezekiel choke) | PFL 5 | June 17, 2021 | 1 | 1:57 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Loss | 18–7 | Rory MacDonald | Submission (rear-naked choke) | PFL 2 | April 29, 2021 | 1 | 3:38 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Loss | 18–6 | Sabah Homasi | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 243 | August 7, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |
| Win | 18–5 | Moses Murrietta | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 238 | January 25, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Inglewood, California, United States | Catchweight bout (180 lbs). |
| Loss | 17–5 | Belal Muhammad | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 236 | April 13, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | |
| Loss | 17–4 | Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos | March 9, 2019 | 1 | 2:35 | Wichita, Kansas, United States | |
| Win | 17–3 | Siyar Bahadurzada | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 232 | December 29, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Inglewood, California, United States | |
| Win | 16–3 | Max Griffin | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 226 | July 7, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 15–3 | Thiago Alves | KO (knee) | UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Medeiros | February 18, 2018 | 2 | 4:17 | Austin, Texas, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 14–3 | Nick Barnes | KO (head kick) | LFA 30 | January 12, 2018 | 2 | 2:51 | Costa Mesa, California, United States | |
| Win | 13–3 | Matthew Frincu | KO (head kick) | LFA 24 | October 13, 2017 | 1 | 0:38 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 12–3 | Kevin Holland | Decision (unanimous) | LFA 13 | June 2, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Burbank, California, United States | |
| Win | 11–3 | Johnny Cisneros | TKO (punches) | Bellator 170 | January 21, 2017 | 2 | 3:48 | Inglewood, California, United States | |
| Win | 10–3 | Ozzie Alvarez | Decision (unanimous) | Fight Club OC 42 | August 25, 2016 | 5 | 5:00 | Costa Mesa, California, United States | Won the vacant Fight Club OC Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–3 | Casey Greene | Decision (unanimous) | CXF 3 | June 25, 2016 | 5 | 5:00 | Studio City, Los Angeles, California, United States | Won the Lights Out Welterweight Championship. |
| Loss | 8–3 | Eddie Mendez | Decision (unanimous) | Lights Out @ Sportsmen's Lodge: Fight Night 4 | October 23, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Studio City, Los Angeles, California, United States | Catchweight (175 lbs) bout. |
| Win | 8–2 | Steven Ciaccio | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 141 | August 28, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Temecula, California, United States | |
| Loss | 7–2 | Fernando Gonzalez | Submission (guillotine choke) | Bellator 137 | May 15, 2015 | 3 | 1:14 | Temecula, California, United States | |
| Loss | 7–1 | Brennan Ward | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Bellator 134 | February 27, 2015 | 1 | 1:37 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |
| Win | 7–0 | James Chaney | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Fight Club OC 32 | October 16, 2014 | 1 | 0:48 | Costa Mesa, California, United States | Defended the Fight Club OC Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 6–0 | Dominic Waters | Decision (split) | Fight Club OC 30 | June 19, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Costa Mesa, California, United States | Won the vacant Fight Club OC Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 5–0 | John Mercurio | Decision (unanimous) | Fight Club OC 28 | April 17, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Costa Mesa, California, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Alex Suhonosov | Decision (unanimous) | Fight Club OC 27 | December 5, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Costa Mesa, California, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | J.C. Llamas | Decision (unanimous) | Fight Club OC 25 | August 15, 2013 | 3 | 3:00 | Costa Mesa, California, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Blake Belshe | KO (punch) | Fight Club OC | April 11, 2013 | 1 | 0:34 | Costa Mesa, California, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Paul Gemmati | Decision (unanimous) | Fight Club OC | February 28, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Costa Mesa, California, United States |
Professional boxing record
edit| 3 fights | 3 wins | 0 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 2 | 0 |
| By decision | 1 | 0 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Ryan Ford | UD | 8 | May 26, 2023 | The Venue at River Cree, Alberta, Canada | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Ke-ali’i Kanekoa | KO | 2 (5), 2:25 | Apr 27, 2023 | The Hangar, Costa Mesa, California, US | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | John Mercurio | KO | 2 (5), 3:00 | Feb 17, 2022 | The Hangar, Costa Mesa, California, US |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Mixed martial arts show results Date: July 7, 2018
- ^ Brian Martin (December 28, 2018). "Curtis Millender stays home for UFC 232 after finding a home at CSW". Orange County Register.
- ^ Curtis Millender plans on boxing ahead of next PFL season. MMAjunkie.com. January 14, 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ Chuck Mindenhall (December 1, 2014). "Michael Page returns to Bellator cage against Curtis Millender on Feb. 27". mmafighting.com.
- ^ Staff (February 23, 2015). "Michael Page Injured; Brennan Ward Replaces 'MVP' at Friday's Bellator 134". sherdog.com.
- ^ Staff (February 28, 2015). "Bellator 134 results: Liam McGeary wins title with hard-fought decision over Newton". mmajunkie.com.
- ^ Tristen Critchfield (March 31, 2015). "Dantas-Richman, Zwicker-Al-Hassan, Gonzalez-Millender Set for Bellator 137 Main Card". sherdog.com.
- ^ Staff (May 15, 2015). "Bellator 137 results: Brandon Halsey stops Kendall Grove, still loses title". mmajunkie.com.
- ^ Stephie Haynes (June 4, 2015). "Bellator releases Sokoudjou and 7 other fighters from their roster". bloodyelbow.com.
- ^ Mike Bohn (August 28, 2015). "Bellator 141 results: Melvin Guillard upset by Brandon Girtz in main event". mmajunkie.com.
- ^ "Bellator 172 Thomson vs. Pitbull". sherdog.com.
- ^ Tristen Critchfield (2018-01-19). "Thiago Alves to meet newcomer Curtis Millender at UFC Fight Night 126 in Austin". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
- ^ "UFC Fight Night 126 results: Curtis Millender's perfect knee KOs Thiago Alves in second". MMAjunkie. 2018-02-19. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
- ^ a b "UFC Fight Night 126 bonuses: Brandon Davis, Steven Peterson get $50,000 for slugfest". MMAjunkie. 2018-02-19. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
- ^ George Garcia and Dann Stupp (2018-05-04). "Max Griffin vs. Curtis Millender targeted for UFC 226 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
- ^ "UFC 226 results: Curtis Millender continues streak, proves too much for Max Griffin". MMAjunkie. 2018-07-08. Retrieved 2018-07-08.
- ^ MMAjunkie Staff (2018-10-29). "Curtis Millender vs. Siyar Bahadurzada booked for UFC 232 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
- ^ "UFC 232 results: Curtis Millender's technique overcomes Siyar Bahadurzada's brute force". MMAjunkie. 2018-12-30. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
- ^ Camilo Pinheiro Machado and Marcelo Barone (2019-01-15). "In search of the seventh UFC win, Elizeu Capoeira faces Curtis Millender on March 9 in Kansas" (in Portuguese). sportv.globo.com. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
- ^ Cole, Ross (2019-03-10). "Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos Taps Out Curtis Millender Quickly At UFC Fight Night 146". MMA Insight. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
- ^ DNA, MMA (15 March 2019). "Snelle terugkeer voor Curtis Millender tegen Belal Muhammad tijdens UFC 236 in Atlanta". Retrieved 2019-03-15.
- ^ "UFC 236 results: Belal Muhammad relentless pressure too much for Curtis Millender". MMA Junkie. 2019-04-14. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
- ^ "Curtis Millender, Andre Soukhamthath among 12 fighters released by UFC". MMA Junkie. 2019-11-05. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
- ^ a b Shelton, Cole (2019-11-07). "Curtis Millender discusses UFC release, reveals he signed with Bellator and has fight booked | BJPenn.com". | BJPenn.com. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
- ^ Farah Hannoun (December 10, 2019). "Curtis Millender returns to Bellator, takes on Moses Murrietta at Bellator 238". mmajunkie.com.
- ^ Farah Hannoun (July 30, 2020). "Curtis Millender predicts second-round finish at Bellator 243 before testing free agency". mmajunkie.com.
- ^ Newswire, MMA Fighting (2020-08-07). "Bellator 243 Results: Chandler vs. Henderson 2". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
- ^ Samano, Simon (9 April 2021). "Curtis Millender steps in to fight Rory MacDonald at PFL 2021, Week 2 on April 29". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- ^ Curtis Millender ready for Rory MacDonald 'dream fight'. MMAjunkie.com. April 27, 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ Marrocco, Steven (2021-04-29). "PFL 2 results: Rory MacDonald tricks Curtis Millender, gets first-round tapout". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
- ^ Newswire, MMA Fighting (2021-05-19). "Rory MacDonald vs. Gleison Tibau headlines PFL 5 main card with welterweights and light heavyweights". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
- ^ "2021 PFL 5 video: Magomed Magomedkerimov strangles Curtis Millender with Ezekiel choke". MMA Junkie. 2021-06-17. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
- ^ "2021 PFL Playoffs 1 sees four matchups altered, one fight added". MMA Junkie. 2021-08-04. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
- ^ "Updated Fight Card for Tomorrow Night's Prelims!". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2021-08-12. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
- ^ "14 former UFC fighters booked for XMMA 4 card in New Orleans". MMA Junkie. 2022-03-11. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
- ^ "XMMA 4 video results, full replay: John Dodson tops Francisco Rivera; Jared Gooden and Kyle Stewart thrive". MMA Junkie. 2022-04-03. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
- ^ "Unified MMA 46 - Live Results and Play-by-Play". MMA Empire. 2022-09-23. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
- ^ "UNF: "BAD MEDS" RESULTS AND HIGHLIGHTS | UNF UpNextFighting.com — The Future of the Fight Game". Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ "Unified 50 - Live Results and Play-by-Play". MMA Empire. 2023-04-01. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
- ^ Matthew Wells (August 29, 2023). "UFC veterans in MMA and kickboxing action Sept. 1-3". MMAjunkie.com.
- ^ Matthew Wells (September 6, 2023). "UFC veterans in MMA, bareknuckle MMA and kickboxing action Sept. 7-9". MMAjunkie.com.
- ^ "12 former UFC fighters added to Jorge Masvidal's Gambred Bareknuckle MMA event". MMA Junkie. 2023-10-05. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "Alan Belcher Notches Split-Decision Victory Against Roy Nelson at Gamebred FC 6". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
- ^ https://valetudo.ru/mma/news/translyatsiya-shlemenko-fighting-championship-10-shlemenko-vs-millender
- ^ https://srrb.ru/rezultaty-sportivnyx-sobytij/rezultaty-boev-mma/rezultaty-shlemenko-fc-10-shlemenko-vs-millender-itogi-boev-1-iyunya-2024.html#_Shlemenko_FC_10_vs
- ^ Matthew Wells (April 26, 2023). "UFC veterans in MMA, boxing and bareknuckle action April 27–30". MMAjunkie.com.
- ^ "Official Results from BYB Trigon Combat Debut in Costa Mesa, CA's The Hangar at the OC Fair and Event Center – BYB Extreme Fighting Series". bybextreme.com. April 28, 2023.
- ^ Unified Boxing [@Unified__Boxing] (May 5, 2023). "After his BIG win at @unifiedmma, 🇺🇸 @CurtiousCurtis headlines #UnifiedBoxing vs. 🇨🇦 @RyanFordBoxing on May 26 at @RiverCreeCasino, LIVE on @UFCFightPass" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Kenny Tran (May 27, 2023). Unified Boxing: Curtis "Curtious" Millender – via YouTube.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "Curtis". Sherdog. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
- ^ "BoxRec: Curtis Millender". BoxRec.