Latest news with #ChrisCurtis
Telegraph
05-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Tram nostalgia won't solve our transport problems
Last Thursday, Chris Curtis, Labour MP for Milton Keynes North asked the Transport Secretary what her department is doing to bring down the cost of building new tram systems. Curtis pointed out, using research by think-tank, Britain ReMade, that 'every French city with a population of over 150,000 has a mass rapid transport system,' while here in Britain similar sized towns have to make do with dull old buses and taxis. West Yorkshire, where I live, is the biggest urban area in Europe without a tram or metro system. There are plans to rectify this by spending £2.1 billion of government money on a tram system connecting Leeds to Bradford city centre and to link Leeds' main hospital to a large out-of-town shopping centre near Leeds United's football ground. Even if the cost of building the lines is halved, that's still over a billion pounds to build less than 20 miles of tramway. Should we be asking if this is the best way to spend the limited cash we have for transport infrastructure? If building tramways is so troubled and difficult, why do we persist with the idea that having trams on our city streets is such a good idea? The proposals for Leeds don't provide any benefit for 90 per cent of West Yorkshire's travellers and our obsession with trams misses the fact that, in most places, the distribution of people and jobs simply isn't suited to fixed rail mass transit systems. Trams, like other fixed rail systems, are an old technology. Leeds and Bradford built trams in the 1880s, discovered they had become loss-making and shut them down in the 1950s to prioritise cheaper, more flexible buses (and the private car). Since then waves of nostalgia have washed over our cities resulting in trams being seen as the only possible solution to urban transport challenges. The truth is, however, that building a tram network is an act of corporate indulgence, a sort of municipal 'keeping up with the Joneses'. Instead of moving to a new generation of transport, we are stuck with an expensive and inflexible 19th century technology. And people don't use trams much. Across the UK, just 8 per cent of journeys were made on public transport and tram systems amounted to just 3 per cent of those public transport trips. Even when we look at Manchester, with its substantial tram network, the share of journeys for this system amounts to less than 5 per cent. Manchester's trams also lose a lot of money, £39 million in 2023/24. If we get the 'tram building revolution' that Chris Curtis calls for, we will be spending billions on loss-making systems that, even optimistically, will amount for less than 10 per cent of passenger journeys. All while the roads where over 90 per cent of journeys take place are starved of both investment and maintenance. If we are serious about transport investment then we should concentrate on investments that the private sector is prepared to finance like air travel, taxi systems, roads and work from home initiatives as well as ending the long term underfunding of roads maintenance. It may be the case that, as Centre for Cities tells us, urban density would make mass transit less loss-making but right now few of England's towns are big enough or dense enough to justify tram systems. Perhaps a brave mayor will tell the government their city doesn't need a tram and would rather finance experiments in autonomous vehicles, air taxis, better road signalling technology and app-based systems like North Yorkshire's YorBus rather than a tram system that doesn't solve urban transport problems and costs a fortune.
News.com.au
01-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Former UFC champ Sean Strickland storms cage, punches fighter
Former UFC champion Sean Strickland is renowned as a different unit, and he showed that again on the weekend when he wasn't even fighting. Strickland's UFC career is at somewhat of a crossroads after the American, who won the welterweight off Israel Adesanya, lost consecutive title fights to Dricus du Plessis. But Strickland is staying close to the action, storming into a cage after a fight at Tuff-N-Uff 145. In bizarre scenes you can watch in the video above, Strickland, wearing flip flops, could be scene flying into the cage after Luis Hernandez submitted Miles Hunsinger to win the fight. Hernandez celebrated the victory with a lewd gesture that clearly set Strickland off. Strickland and MMA fighter Chris Curtis ran to Hernandez and Strickland punched the victorious fighter, despite the efforts of the referee to shield Hernandez, who is a police officer. 'Sean Strickland couldn't drop me,' Hernandez said in the cage after the fight. 'Guess what UFC, I want my turn.' Both Strickland and Curtis are set to face potential punishment from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for their rogue antics. Strickland explained on Instagram: 'So after the fight, you guys see me corner guys all the time, I'm the first one to shake their hand and say 'I wish you well, on to the next one'. 'But after the fight this guy comes up to me, calls me by name, 'Strickland', calls me a b****, says he's going to f*** me up. Does the hand gesture … as a man, I'm not capable not to answer that. 'If I walk down the street, if I leave my house and somebody says that, my soul will not allow that to not go unanswered. I cannot do it, I cannot f*** do it.' Strickland is a loose cannon, evident when he flipped the bird to du Plessis after losing their rematch at UFC 312 in February. It was a big weekend for UFC with Ilia Topuria joining an exclusive club of two-division champions by defeating Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 to win the lightweight belt. Topuria knocked Oliveira out cold with a savage combination of punches to reinforce his status as the UFC's most dangerous knockout artist. The victory opens the door for Topuria to take on Islam Makhachev at lightweight or welterweight in a blockbuster bout between two of the UFC's scariest fighters. Makhachev has signalled his intention to fight Australia's newly crowned welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena later this year. It continues a tough run of fights for Australians after Alex Volkanovski was knocked out by Topuria and Volkanovski before reclaiming his featherweight title at UFC 314. Volkanovski, 36, is in the twilight of his career but showed he is still a class fighter, defeating Diego Lopes to reclaim his featherweight title. But Volk's dreams of becoming lightweight champion appear over, with the Aussie set to finish his UFC career with a couple of featherweight title defences. Topuria shook his head when asked if he would fight Volkanovski again in a rematch. 'Never (again), all with Volk is done,' he told 'First of all, because I'm not planning to go back to the featherweight division again. 'And the second thing is that I don't think that they (the UFC) are gonna allow him to move up to the lightweight division. 'OK if he does it, I don't think that he deserves the title shot directly.' Topuria also said Paddy 'The Baddy' Pimblett is one fight away from a title shot at lightweight. The Englishman outclassed Michael Chandler in April and welterweight champion Dricus du Plessis believes Pimblett's next fight will be against Justin Gaethje at UFC 319 in August. Du Plessis will defend his belt against Khamzat Chimaev. 'It's gonna be a big card,' the South African told Ahmed Amwell on YouTube. 'The co-main event is Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje.'
The Independent
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
UFC star Sean Strickland storms cage to attack teammate's opponent
Sean Strickland stormed the cage at an MMA event on Sunday, striking a fighter who beat the UFC star's teammate. At a Tuff-N-Uff fight card in Las Vegas, Strickland's teammate Miles Hunsinger suffered a second-round submission loss to Luis Hernandez, who won via standing guillotine choke. Hernandez immediately celebrated by looking through the cage fence at Strickland and Chris Curtis – another UFC fighter and teammate of Strickland – and sticking out his tongue while gesturing to his crotch. That led Strickland and Curtis to rush into the cage to confront Hernandez, with Strickland punching the 28-year-old twice. Curtis in fact separated the pair, seemingly trying to prevent Strickland from striking Hernandez again. Yet when Hernandez appeared to goad Curtis at point-blank range, the latter seemed to offer some stern words before being dragged away by the referee. All the while, the cage filled up with other officials and people trying to defuse the situation. Later, the unbeaten Hernandez told journalist Ariel Helwani: 'We were in the fight, and they were talking in the fight. And listen, there's only so much we can take. 'This is entertainment, right, [but] he said some things, and then I said some things back, and I guess he didn't like what I said back. 'He was talking s***, saying I was tired, he was making fun of me, I think he called me fat. I don't take that lightly. 'Me? I said, 'F*** you, Sean Strickland.' Yeah, he punched me, he did [connect], but I'm still standing – still smiling.' Strickland is one of the most divisive fighters in the UFC. The American, 34, pulled off an all-time MMA upset in 2023, when he outpointed Israel Adesanya to win the UFC middleweight title, though he lost it to Dricus Du Plessis in his first defence. But he is equally known for his views on various political and social matters, having once claimed he wanted to kill an opponent in the cage. Strickland has also criticised women's MMA, and insulted Australia before fighting there in February. Strickland, who previously fought in Australia when he won the middleweight title, said: 'It's a really beautiful country. I would consider Australians as English white trash. Some Irish, too; you know they sent the lot here. As an American white trash, I feel like I have a lot in common with you f***ers.' Referencing Australia's introduction of gun laws, after the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, Strickland added: 'You had one mass shooting and gave up all your guns, that was kind of pathetic. 'It's the lack of freedom, dude. How insane is it that we're in a modern country and hate speech is a thing? [...] We're in a modern country with running water, and you guys know: it's real bad […] real f***ing bad, dude.' Strickland's views were even featured on the front page of the Australian Daily Telegraph 'ssports section. The paper branded him the 'UFC's biggest imbecile' and called for 'someone [to] please knock this guy out'. In a strange move, the UFC shared the front page on its social-media accounts.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC Star Sean Strickland Storms Cage and Brawls With Fighter Who Beat His Teammate (Video)
UFC Star Sean Strickland Storms Cage and Brawls With Fighter Who Beat His Teammate (Video) originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland remains one of the UFC's most unpredictable and volatile fighters outside of the cage. He has a notorious reputation for speaking his mind no matter how offensive his thoughts may be, and an even more notorious reputation for engaging in antics and drama outside of the Octagon. Advertisement Recently, Strickland and his longtime teammate Chris Curtis engaged in a post-fight brawl at Tuff-N-Uff 145 after their training partner, Miles Hunsinger, was submitted by unbeaten MMA prospect Luis Hernandez. Chris Unger-GettyImages The fight ignited when Hernandez, following his standing guillotine choke victory, taunted Strickland and Curtis with obscene gestures, which led to the two UFC veterans storming the cage and fighting him. Before the fight could get any uglier, officials and the security team intervened. Here is a clip of the incident: Strickland, who has a history of volatile behavior outside the Octagon, could face potential disciplinary action from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). As a licensed cornerman, he could be suspended from cornering pending an investigation into prohibited acts and disciplinary actions. Advertisement The UFC has yet to comment, but CEO Dana White should address the situation soon, given Strickland's high-profile status. Hernandez, meanwhile, remains undefeated and unapologetic. The Florida native, known for his brash persona, has a history of flashy finishes, including a three-second head kick KO in 2023. His post-fight antics were clearly intended to provoke, and they succeeded—drawing Strickland and Curtis into a brawl that has now gone viral. Already coming off two title fight losses to du Plessis, Strickland was expected to return to the Octagon later this year. However, if he faces disciplinary action for his conduct, his comeback could be delayed indefinitely. Curtis, who has lost four of his last five fights, may also face repercussions. Related: UFC Commentator Joe Rogan Targeted in Bizarre Threats from "Liver King" that Lead to Influencer's Arrest Related: After Just Five Years of MMA Training, Rising UFC Star May Become a Champion This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
27-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC on ESPN 70 gets Chris Curtis, Jake Matthews among other Nashville fight card additions
UFC on ESPN 70 gets Chris Curtis, Jake Matthews among other Nashville fight card additions Several bouts have been added to July's UFC on ESPN 70 in Nashville. The UFC's seventh visit to Nashville, Tenn. is taking shape. Three new bouts have been added to UFC on ESPN 70 including Jake Matthews vs. Chidi Njokuani, Max Griffin vs. Chris Curtis, and Junior Tafa vs. Ateba Gautier. The promotion announced the news Tuesday. UFC on ESPN 70 takes place July 12 at the Bridgestone Arena and is headlined by a heavyweight bout between former title challenger Derrick Lewis against undefeated prospect Tallison Teixeira. Njokuani (25-10 MMA, 5-3 UFC) looks to build on his 3-0 run since he dropped back down to welterweight. Meanwhile, Matthews (21-7 MMA, 14-7 UFC), a veteran of the weight class, looks to get his own 3-0 run, as he's coming off back-to-back decision wins over Phil Rowe and Francisco Prado. Additionally, Max Griffin welcomes Chris Curtis back to welterweight. Curtis (31-12 MMA, 5-4 UFC), who's competed all of his 10 UFC fights at 185 pounds, will be making his promotional welterweight debut. He looks to snap a two-fight losing skid now in a new division. "Pain" Griffin is 2-2 in his past four trips to the octagon, with his most recent one being a submission loss to Michael Chiesa in December at UFC 310. Lastly, Tafa (6-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) will also be trying out a new weight class – light heavyweight. He takes on Gautier (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who's coming off a devastating KO win in his debut fight against Jose Medina in Mexico City in March.
