Jeff Curran (born September 2, 1977) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1998 to 2016, Curran fought at a number of different weight classes for a large number of promotions including Bellator, the UFC, Strikeforce, PRIDE Fighting Championships, WEC, IFL, the RFA, and KOTC.
| Jeff Curran | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 2, 1977 Crystal Lake, Illinois, U.S. |
| Other names | Big Frog |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Weight | 135 lb (61 kg; 9.6 st) |
| Division | Flyweight Bantamweight Featherweight Lightweight |
| Reach | 69 in (175 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Crystal Lake, Illinois, U.S. |
| Team | Team Curran |
| Rank | Fifth degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Pedro Sauer[1] |
| Years active | 1998–2016 |
| Professional boxing record | |
| Total | 5 |
| Wins | 2 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 55 |
| Wins | 36 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 21 |
| By decision | 14 |
| Losses | 18 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 12 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Notable relatives | Pat Curran, cousin |
| Boxing record from BoxRec | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Background
editCurran started his path towards mixed martial arts with karate and Tae Kwon Do when he was five years old. Curran has trained for 16 years and has fought for 5 years. He began wrestling in the fourth grade and did that until his freshman year when he began Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He graduated from Woodstock High School (Illinois) in 1995.[2] Curran also says that as a teen he would box with his grandfather.[citation needed] Curran holds a rank of fourth-degree black belt under Pedro Sauer.[1] Curran is also known as one of the most technical instructors in the Pedro Sauer Jiu-Jitsu Association.[citation needed]
Curran is president and head instructor of Curran Martial Arts Academy (CMA),[3] and owner and promoter of Xtreme Fighting Organization. Curran appeared on the television series Tapout on Versus with fellow Team Curran pro fighter Matt Fiordirosa.
World Extreme Cagefighting
editAfter fifteen victories in sixteen fights, Curran fought Urijah Faber for the WEC featherweight championship. Faber retained his title by defeating Curran via guillotine choke. Curran then lost a pair of unanimous decisions, first to former WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Brown and then his Bantamweight debut to Joseph Benavidez at WEC 40.[4] His most recent WEC fight was against Takeya Mizugaki on August 9, 2009, WEC 42; he lost by a split decision, and was subsequently released from the promotion for good.[5]
Independent promotions
editAfter losing four consecutive fights in the WEC, it was announced on October 20, 2009, that Curran had signed a two-fight contract with North American promotion Strikeforce. He maintained that his ultimate goal was to return to the WEC, but was glad to still be able to fight on major cards for the time being. He made his debut for the organization as a part of the preliminary card on their November 7 event, Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers, in Chicago, winning over Dustin Neace by submission in the first round.[6] Curran later defeated Tomohiko Hori via unanimous decision at XFO 34.[7] Curran went on to lose a unanimous decision to Bryan Goldsby in a non-tournament bantamweight bout at Bellator 14.
Curran announced that he will be featured in a documentary entitled "This is the Fight". It was expected to be released in early fall 2010. The film will be about his difficult road to try to make it back to the WEC after 4 consecutive losses to, at the time, top 5 fighters in his weight class.[citation needed]
Curran faced David Love at XFO 37 on December 4, 2010. Although breaking his right forearm towards the end of the fight, he won the fight by unanimous decision. He underwent surgery for the injury on New Year's Day 2011.[8]
Curran was scheduled to headline XFO 39 on May 13 at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.[9] He took on late replacement Billy Vaughan[10] and won via unanimous decision.[11]
UFC return
editCurran in July 2011 signed a new multi-fight contract to return to the UFC.[12] His first fight back was against Scott Jorgensen,[13] who was ranked the No. 4 bantamweight in the world by MMAWeekly.com at the time that Curran returned to the promotion.[14] Curran lost by unanimous decision.[15]
Curran faced Johnny Eduardo on May 15, 2012, at UFC on Fuel TV: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier.[16] He lost the bout via unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the promotion.[17]
Resurrection Fighting Alliance
editOn April 29, 2013, it was announced that Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) next card would headline Jeff Curran and Sergio Pettis for the inaugural RFA flyweight championship. However, in the days leading up to the event, Curran was forced out for personal reasons and was replaced by Dillard "Joe" Pegg.[18]
On July 20, 2013, it was announced that Keoni Koch was injured and pulled from the main event of RFA 9; Curran was then set to face Pedro Munhoz at RFA 9 on August 16, 2013, in the main event for the RFA Bantamweight Championship.[19] Curran lost the bout via split[20] decision and announced his retirement.[21]
Titan Fighting Championship
editOn January 28, 2014, it was announced that Curran would return from his retirement to fight for Titan Fighting Championship; he was to take on fellow UFC vet Iliarde Santos in April.[22]
Grappling career
editCurran was scheduled to compete in a rematch against Urijah Faber under Combat Jiu-Jitsu rules at A1 Combat 21 on May 25, 2024.[23] Curran withdrew from the match due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Jeff Glover.[24]
Personal life
editJeff and his wife Sarah have two sons.[25][26] Jeff opened up his own gym facility in 2018, where he was coaching Felice Herrig for her comeback but was forced to close it in 2020 due to financial complications resulting from COVID-19.[27]
Championships and accomplishments
editMixed martial arts record
edit| 55 matches | 36 wins | 18 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 3 |
| By submission | 21 | 3 |
| By decision | 14 | 12 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 36–18–1 | Raufeon Stots | Decision (unanimous) | VFC 53: Curran vs. Stots | November 23, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Waterloo, Iowa, United States | |
| Loss | 36–17–1 | Melvin Blumer | KO (backfist) | RFA 24: Smith vs. Romero | March 6, 2015 | 1 | 4:58 | Prior Lake, Minnesota, United States | |
| Loss | 36–16–1 | Pedro Munhoz | Decision (split) | RFA 9: Munhoz vs. Curran | August 16, 2013 | 5 | 5:00 | Los Angeles, California, United States | For the RFA Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 36–15–1 | Josh Killion | Decision (unanimous) | Extreme Challenge 227 | May 3, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Bettendorf, Iowa, United States | Flyweight Debut. |
| Loss | 35–15–1 | Johnny Eduardo | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fuel TV: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier | May 15, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Fairfax, Virginia, United States | |
| Loss | 35–14–1 | Scott Jorgensen | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 137 | October 29, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 35–13–1 | Billy Vaughan | Decision (unanimous) | Xtreme Fighting Organization 39 | May 13, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 34–13–1 | David Love | Decision (unanimous) | Xtreme Fighting Organization 37 | December 4, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Lakemoor, Illinois, United States | |
| Loss | 33–13–1 | Bryan Goldsby | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 14 | April 15, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | Bantamweight bout. |
| Win | 33–12–1 | Tomohiko Hori | Decision (unanimous) | XFO 34: Curran vs. Hori | December 5, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Lakemoor, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 32–12–1 | Dustin Neace | Submission (rib injury) | Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers | November 7, 2009 | 1 | 1:39 | Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States | Lightweight bout. |
| Loss | 31–12–1 | Takeya Mizugaki | Decision (split) | WEC 42 | August 9, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 31–11–1 | Joseph Benavidez | Decision (unanimous) | WEC 40 | April 5, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | Bantamweight debut. |
| Loss | 31–10–1 | Mike Brown | Decision (unanimous) | WEC 34: Faber vs. Pulver | June 1, 2008 | 3 | 5:00 | Sacramento, California, United States | |
| Loss | 31–9–1 | Urijah Faber | Submission (guillotine choke) | WEC 31 | December 12, 2007 | 2 | 4:34 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | For WEC Featherweight Championship. |
| Win | 31–8–1 | Stephen Ledbetter | Decision (unanimous) | WEC 29 | August 5, 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 30–8–1 | John Mahlow | Decision (split) | KOTC: Damage Control | May 26, 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | Lightweight bout. |
| Win | 29–8–1 | Kevin English | Submission (guillotine choke) | IFL: Moline | April 7, 2007 | 2 | 1:12 | Moline, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 28–8–1 | Donny Walker | Submission (rear-naked choke) | KOTC: Hard Knocks | January 19, 2007 | 3 | 3:23 | Rockford, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 27–8–1 | Raphael Assunção | Decision (majority) | XFO 13: Operation Beatdown | November 11, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 26–8–1 | Wagnney Fabiano | Decision (split) | APEX: A Night of Champions | October 14, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Gatineau, Quebec, Canada | |
| Loss | 25–8–1 | Hatsu Hioki | Decision (unanimous) | Pride - Bushido 12 | August 26, 2006 | 2 | 5:00 | Nagoya, Japan | |
| Win | 25–7–1 | Charles Bennett | Submission (armbar) | KOTC: Redemption on the River | February 17, 2006 | 1 | 3:23 | Moline, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 24–7–1 | Antonio Carvalho | Decision (majority) | IHC 9: Purgatory | November 19, 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Hammond, Indiana, United States | Won Shooto Americas Lightweight Championship |
| Win | 23–7–1 | Steve Kinnison | Submission (rear-naked choke) | XFO 6: Judgement Day | June 25, 2005 | 3 | 1:47 | Lakemoor, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 22–7–1 | Luke Spencer | Submission (rear-naked choke) | SuperBrawl 40 | April 30, 2005 | 2 | 2:34 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| Win | 21–7–1 | David Douglas | Submission (rear-naked choke) | IFC: Eve Of Destruction | March 5, 2005 | 1 | 1:39 | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | |
| Win | 20–7–1 | Jason Dent | Decision (unanimous) | Xtreme Fighting Organization 3 | October 2, 2004 | 3 | 5:00 | McHenry, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 19–7–1 | Masahiro Oishi | Technical Submission (guillotine choke) | Zst 6 | September 12, 2004 | 1 | 0:44 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 18–7–1 | Kimihito Nonaka | Submission (rear-naked choke) | SuperBrawl 35 | April 16, 2004 | 3 | 4:35 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| Win | 17–7–1 | Dan Swift | Submission (triangle choke) | XFO 1: The Kickoff | March 14, 2004 | 3 | 0:44 | Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, United States | |
| Loss | 16–7–1 | Matt Serra | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 46 | January 31, 2004 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Lightweight bout. |
| Loss | 16–6–1 | Norifumi Yamamoto | Decision (unanimous) | SuperBrawl 29 | May 9, 2003 | 3 | 5:00 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| Win | 16–5–1 | Todd Lally | Submission (triangle choke) | WFA 3: Level 3 | November 23, 2002 | 1 | 4:49 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 15–5–1 | Ryan Ackerman | Decision (unanimous) | IHC 5: Tribulation | October 26, 2002 | 3 | 5:00 | Hammond, Indiana, United States | Won IHC Featherweight Championship |
| Win | 14–5–1 | Baret Yoshida | KO (punch) | UCC Hawaii: Eruption in Hawaii | September 17, 2002 | 2 | 2:08 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| Win | 13–5–1 | Bao Quach | Decision (majority) | WEC 4 | August 31, 2002 | 3 | 5:00 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |
| Loss | 12–5–1 | Ivan Menjivar | Decision (unanimous) | UCC 10: Battle for the Belts 2002 | June 15, 2002 | 3 | 5:00 | Hull, Quebec, Canada | |
| Win | 12–4–1 | Max Marin | Submission (triangle choke) | UA 1: The Genesis | January 27, 2002 | 2 | 3:46 | Hammond, Indiana, United States | |
| Loss | 11–4–1 | Anthony Hamlett | KO (elbow) | HOOKnSHOOT: Kings 2 | November 18, 2001 | 1 | 0:11 | Evansville, Indiana, United States | For vacant HnS Featherweight Championship.[30] |
| Draw | 11–3–1 | Ryoji Yoshizawa | Draw | HOOKnSHOOT: Quake | March 10, 2001 | 2 | 5:00 | Evansville, Indiana, United States | |
| Win | 11–3 | Jamie Webb | Submission (punches) | Freestyle Combat Challenge 3 | January 6, 2001 | 1 | 2:44 | N/A | |
| Win | 10–3 | Tony DeDolph | Decision (split) | Extreme Challenge 31 | March 24, 2000 | 3 | 5:00 | Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States | |
| Win | 9–3 | Ron Matthews | Submission (triangle choke) | Bangkok Brawl | March 20, 2000 | N/A | N/A | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 8–3 | Sam Wells | Submission (triangle choke) | Midwest Absolute Challenge | December 4, 1999 | 1 | 16:04 | McHenry, Illinois, United States | |
| Loss | 7–3 | Phil Johns | Submission (strikes) | Cage Combat 4 | September 26, 1999 | 1 | 0:31 | Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States | |
| Win | 7–2 | Jeremy Bolt | Submission (triangle choke) | ECC: Extreme Combat Challenge | August 17, 1999 | 1 | 4:30 | Illinois, United States | |
| Loss | 6–2 | Phil Johns | KO (punches) | HOOKnSHOOT: Rising | June 12, 1999 | 1 | N/A | Evansville, Indiana, United States | |
| Win | 6–1 | Charles Barron | Submission (armbar) | Chicago Challenge 6 | May 22, 1999 | 1 | N/A | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 5–1 | Sam Wells | Decision | Freestyle Combat Challenge 1 | April 19, 1999 | 1 | 15:00 | N/A | |
| Win | 4–1 | Jeff Rick | Submission (rear-naked choke) | HOOKnSHOOT: Trial | January 30, 1999 | 1 | 0:44 | Evansville, Indiana, United States | |
| Win | 3–1 | Larry Koneizka | Submission (armbar) | Chicago Challenge 5 | November 1, 1998 | 1 | N/A | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 2–1 | Jason Chambers | Submission (front choke) | Chicago Challenge 4 | May 30, 1998 | 1 | N/A | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 1–1 | Mike Haltom | Submission (armbar) | Extreme Challenge 17 | April 11, 1998 | 1 | 2:58 | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States | |
| Loss | 0–1 | Henry Matamoros | Submission | Extreme Challenge 13 | January 16, 1998 | 1 | 11:13 | Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States |
Submission grappling record
edit| 1 Match, 1 Loss | |||||||
| Result | Rec. | Opponent | Method | Event | Division | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lose | 0–1 |  Ryan Hall | Points | ADCC 2009 | –66 kg | 2009 |  Spain |
Professional boxing record
edit| 5 fights | 2 wins | 2 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 2 | 0 |
| By decision | 0 | 2 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Win | 2–2–1 |  Miguel Angel Figueroa | TKO | 3 (4), 1:38 | Sep 19, 2008 | Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois | |
| 4 | Loss | 1–2–1 | Guadalupe Diaz | MD | 4 | May 11, 2007 | Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois | |
| 3 | Loss | 1–1–1 | Raul García | UD | 4 | Jul 21, 2006 | Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois | |
| 2 | Draw | 1–0–1 | Emanuel Hernandez | PTS | 6 | Apr 21, 2006 | Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Alexis Rubin | TKO | 4 (4), 2:31 | Apr 20, 2005 | Bourbon Street, Merrionette Park, Illinois | Professional debut |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Professor Jeff Curran". teamcurran.com.
- ^ "Curran works for another shot at world title". www.nwherald.com.
- ^ "Team Curran MMA - Mixed Martial Arts in Crystal Lake, IL". Team Curran MMA. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
- ^ Dave Doyle (March 1, 2009). "WEC notes: Karalexis heeds wake-up call". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
- ^ Hunt, Kelvin (August 11, 2009). "WEC 42 Review: Jeff Curran Thinks He Was Robbed Against Takeya Mizugaki". mmaforreal.com. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
- ^ "Nothing found for Absolutenm Templates Dailynews Asp". MMAWeekly.com. Retrieved January 8, 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Jeff Curran Stomps Tomohiko Hori". sherdog.com. December 8, 2009. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
- ^ "XFO 37 results – Jeff Curran picks up win & Felice Herrig vs. Amanda LaVoy fight video". ULTIMMA.com. December 6, 2010. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
- ^ "Jeff Curran Headlines XFO 39". MMARecap.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2011.
- ^ MMA Recap. "MMA Recap". Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
- ^ MMA Recap. "MMA Recap". MMA Recap. Archived from the original on May 15, 2011. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
- ^ "The Big Frog Is Back: Jeff Curran Signs New Deal with UFC". MMAWeekly.com. July 26, 2011.
- ^ "Scott Jorgensen Welcomes Jeff Curran Back to the Octagon at UFC 137". MMAWeekly.com. July 26, 2011.
- ^ "MMAWeekly Bantamweight MMA Top 10". MMAWeekly.com. July 26, 2011.
- ^ G.D. (October 30, 2011). "UFC 137 Results: What we Learned from Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
- ^ "UFC on Fuel TV: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier". ufc.com. March 12, 2012.
- ^ Anton Tabuena (June 4, 2012). "UFC Releases Several Fighters From Their Roster". bloodyelbow.com.
- ^ "Jeff Curran Out of RFA 8 Main Event; Sergio Pettis Gets New Opponent | MMAWeekly.com". June 12, 2013.
- ^ "Keoni Koch Injured, Jeff Curran Steps into RFA 9 Main Event Title Fight | MMAWeekly.com". July 20, 2013.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Fight of the Week: Pedro Munhoz vs. Jeff Curran RFA 9 ~~~". YouTube.
- ^ "MMA vet Jeff Curran retires following RFA 9 title loss". Archived from the original on August 20, 2013.
- ^ Jamie Penick (January 28, 2014). "UFC vets Dave Herman, Jeff Curran sign with Titan FC, debut in April on CBS Sports Network". mmatorch.com. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
- ^ Jones, Phil. "Urijah Faber And Jeff Curran Set For Combat Jiu-Jitsu Rematch". Jitsmagazine. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ Blackett, Todd. "Jeff Glover Steps In To Face Urijah Faber In Combat Jiu-Jitsu Match". Jitsmagazine. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- ^ "Ty Curran - Little Frog Born: March 19th, 2007 10:52pm". JeffCurran.tv. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
- ^ "There must be something in the water". Suckerpunchent.com. December 27, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
- ^ Martin, Damon. "UFC vet Jeff Curran brought to tears after being forced to close his gym due to coronavirus pandemic". MMA Fighting. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- ^ Saalbach, Axel. "Wrestlingdata.com - The World's Largest Wrestling Database". WrestlingData.com. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
- ^ Saalbach, Axel. "Wrestlingdata.com - The World's Largest Wrestling Database". WrestlingData.com. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
- ^ "Gladiator Challenge #8at Saboba Casino (results)". FCFighter.com. Retrieved January 8, 2018.