‘Premier League of fighting’ – Kurtis Campbell reflects on first UFC win in Paris as he sets target

Losing the biggest fight of your life by brutal knockout might deter the average athlete from combat sports forever.

But for Kurtis Campbell, his devastating defeat at UFC London six months ago only fired him up to step back into what he calls ‘the Premier League of fighting.’

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Making his UFC debut on home soil in March, Campbell was stopped by Danny Silva in round two after a series of right hands left him unable to respond to the American’s onslaught.

But returning to Dana White‘s promotion this past weekend for another main card bout at UFC Paris, which shows how highly the company value him, ‘The Pink Panther’ reversed his fortunes.

After a dominant opening two rounds, landing some beautiful head kicks on opponent Trevor Peek, Campbell secured the finish with a rear naked choke submission in the final five minutes.

To the neutral fan, it must’ve felt like a huge weight off of Campbell’s shoulders.

But speaking to talkSPORT.com, the 24-year-old from Merseyside revealed the pressure was off, as his experience in London shaped the path to his first UFC win.

Campbell’s mindset to earn first UFC win

“Losses are big in the sport, but everyone takes them on their chin a little bit too much, really,” an honest Campbell explained.

“My dad’s always told me, ‘Even when you’re at the highest of highs, it’s not that high, and when you’re at the lowest of your lows, it’s not that low. It’s how you come back from it,’ and that’s exactly what I’ve done.

“After London, I took no time — I got straight back into the gym to right the wrongs.

“I have a really good family around me, and a good team, so I’d be stupid to be dwelling on that. I had the best week in my life [in London], and I was looking forward to doing it all over again.”

He continued: “A lot of people reached out to me [after UFC London] and said, ‘It’s only a little bump in the road.’

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“That’s really nice to hear because, especially in this world, there’s a lot of hate that comes with it.

“But that’s the eye that I’ve put myself in, and that’s where I’m supposed to be, so love or hate, at the end of the day, everyone’s still watching.”

Campbell punched his ticket to the UFC through White’s Contender Series in September 2025, earning a contract after stopping Demba Seck in the first round.

He says the step up in competition to the UFC is ‘100 per cent’ what he expected.

“The UFC is the Premier League of fighting,” Campbell concluded.

“I knew that there was going to be serious killers in here, and that’s what I am myself.

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“I’m happy to be in this pool with everyone else. I felt like I was a league above everyone else outside the UFC, so I’m really happy to be here, especially being a young’un.

“I want to be the best and be remembered forever. I feel like that’s everyone’s goal, but the name that my mum and dad have, Campbell, that’s who I want to represent.

“They could have any name in the world, as long as I’m representing my mum and dad, and making sure that legacy lives on. When my time does come, I still want people to mention my name.”

Relive all the action from UFC Paris: Hooker vs Parnasse on TNT Sports and HBO Max now.

talkSPORT's UFC pound-for-pound rankings

talkSPORT.com has collectively voted on the best fighters to form a regularly updated UFC pound-for-pound (P4P) rankings system for the rest of 2026 and beyond.

Our P4P list will be updated regularly based on performances in the Octagon — with wins, records, title wins and defences, calibre of opponents, methods of victory and much more all determining who makes it.

UFC champions Islam Makhachev, Tom Aspinall and Sean Strickland feature – but big stars such as Alex Pereira and Arman Tsarukyan miss out.