Curtis holds a professional MMA record of 7-2. Most recently, he took out Bobby Gurley at the 36 second mark of Round 1 on the M-1 Challenge XXIV card. Hours before his hand was raised in victory, I met the heavy weight combatant in the locker room. After a quick introduction, I sat back and casually observed Curtis and the rest of the fighters as they prepared for battle.
Everyone has their own pre-fight ritual. It varies from getting amped up and jamming to music, to hitting the mitts and jumping rope, even going somewhere quiet and meditating. Curtis just sat quiet at a table occasionally chatting with his corner men. I was amazed at how calm and relaxed he appeared. He kept this chill composure down the hall, up the walkway, and into the ring… all the way through the sound of the bell.
You might credit his demeanor to his years of experience on the mat. Curtis is no stranger to competition having wrestled from his freshman year in high school, through college and onto the U.S. National Team. But once you get to know him better, you realize this is just Johnny, this is his nature. He has a very serene aura about him, which immediately puts those around him at ease. If you’re thinking Curtis must be somewhat spiritual based on that description, you’re right. He begins each day reading from The Bible. And he does so with the intention of applying the lessons to his everyday life.
Born in Fairfax, VA, Curtis attended Fairfax High School where he began wrestling his freshman year. His football coach, who doubled as head of the Wrestling program, was part of the reason Curtis dawned a singlet. He gave Curtis a sort of analogy by saying “If you want to get from point A, to point B on land, take a car. If you want to get from point A, to point B on water, take a boat. If you want the quickest way to kick someone’s ass, learn to wrestle.” Curtis remembers this and laughs, but most likely he would have followed in his brother’s footsteps and joined the team anyway.
By his senior year, Curtis was ready to take the Virginia High School League 176lb title. Instead of coming away with the medal, he tore his ACL two days before the meet. The injury not only cost him to miss the Championship match, it meant he would redshirt his freshman year at the University of Virginia. Instead of moping around, he put his efforts into rehab and getting his knee and body back to 100%.
The following year Curtis transferred to George Mason University and once again, joined a wrestling team with his brother. During his time at GMU, Curtis compiled a 114-30 record and accomplished the following:
• 2-time All-American wrestler
• 2-time winner of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) wrestling tournament
• CAA Wrestler of the Year honors in 1992 and 1993
• 3-times - Qualified for the NCAA National Championship
• 3-time Virginia Division I state titles
• Northern Region Top 100 Greatest Athlete of all Times (#86)
Curtis, always humble, thought he did pretty well at GMU. But said, “I really got better on the U.S. National Team.” From 1996 to 2000 he competed in Freestyle wrestling and was ranked as high as #3. Meanwhile, teammates Randy Couture, Dan Henderson and Matt Lindland favored Greco-Roman. As the sport of mixed martial arts was starting to get some attention, Curtis was trying for the U.S. Olympic team. Having come up a little short, he moved on and started another chapter in his life.
While pinning opponents at George Mason, Curtis earned his diploma studying Government & Politics. At one point that degree led him to an internship on Capitol Hill, where he quickly realized “cubical life” wasn’t his thing. So, after the Olympic trials were over in May of 2000, Curtis went full speed ahead with Freedom Tree Service the following month. This was a natural progression for him, since he had operated the business on a part-time basis since 1996.
That type of work always presented a challenge, kept him outdoors, and allowed him to work around wrestling. And although he didn’t say it, I believe that kind of hard, honest day’s work suits him perfectly. A few years later his brother joined the company, which has again provided Johnny time and flexibility to train.
Curtis was very busy that year. In addition to going full-time with his own business, he did takedown seminars for Dave Anderson at One Spirit Martial Arts. Before long the seminars led to more training of his own, and eventually the start of a fight team in 2007. Once Curtis gained approval from his wife to join the team, he got busy in the cage. The then 30-something Tree Man got off to a fast start knocking down his opposition and submitting them in the first round. The quick success and 3-0 record came fairly easy and soon Curtis was moved up to the Pro’s.
At the Smash MMA event, his first professional victory came the same way. Inside the Patriot Center on Curtis’ college stomping grounds, he won via choke in less than 2 minutes of Round 1. But, things changed and the next two fights didn’t go as well. Like any athlete, they tend to stay with their bread and butter. Although Curtis was working on his boxing, he never thought much about getting caught, much less hurt by a punch. The KO loss in his second fight, followed by a KO from current UFC Heavyweight Brendan Schaub in his third, made Curtis realize he needed to round out his arsenal and better protect his chin. (To his credit, a second torn ACL sent him to the canvas before Schaub’s hand connected.)
Since then, Curtis has racked up a 6 fight win streak and several of those because of his fists. In a post fight interview after M-1, Curtis was asked what’s next for the 40 year old fighter. He joked that he didn’t have much of a golf game, so he would just continue fighting and look forward to the next challenge. The interview ended and Curtis returned to the locker room much the way he left. No big celebration, no boasting… maybe a slightly bigger smile, maybe.
No one knows what the future holds for Johnny Curtis and his MMA career. Hopefully he will experience the longevity and some success found by his former wrestling teammates. One thing is for certain though, he’ll continue to do what’s worked all his life. He’ll put in an honest day’s work, train hard, be good to his family and most importantly to Johnny, let his faith lead the way.
Best wishes,
-Pete
PS: We are looking for sponsors that would support Johnny. Stihl, Bermuda Chippers, Steel Cold Knives and many others would be a great fit. Please contact me if you know someone that might be interested.
