With today’s announcement that the UFC has released 10 fighters, including former Ultimate Fighter winner Efrain Escudero, independent promoters must be salivating at the thought of adding former UFC stars to their upcoming events.
There was one name on the list hit me as surprising: former WEC competitor Jeff Curran.
Curran is a journeyman fighter who holds a respectable record of 33-15-1. Under the Zuffa umbrella, he has competed as a lightweight, featherweight and bantamweight, although he claims that his true home is in the newly established flyweight division.
Sure, Curran hasn’t torn up the bantamweight division. “Big Frog” went 0-2 in his most recent UFC run, and his final four fights in the WEC were losses. However, Curran was able to stay competitive against the best featherweights in the world, including Urijah Faber, Mike Brown, Joseph Benavidez and Takeya Mizugaki.
When you look at the terribly shallow roster pool of the UFC Flyweight division (11 fighters total), it seems odd that they would release a veteran who has competed against world-class fighters and is interested in making the transition.
Outside of the tournament fighters, the biggest star in the flyweight division is Ultimate Fighter winner John Dodson, who has exactly two fights for any notable organizations. Can the UFC really afford to throw away talent at 125 pounds?
Considering that Curran squared off with such high level fighters in a weight class 20 pounds above his own, it is impressive that Faber was the only man able to finish him.
There are a few roses hidden beneath the thorns, however, as Curran was able to defeat notables Wagnney Fabiano, Rafael Assuncao and Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett throughout his career.
From a business aspect, you can look at Curran’s salary as another reason why he should remain on the roster. Garnering a mere $8,000 per fight (without locker room bonuses), a veteran like Curran was making the same as a lot of Ultimate Fighter losers and assorted promotional newcomers. If that low price tag is all it costs to help boost your weakest division, it’s an incredible bargain.
I’m not suggesting that Curran is a world-beater, or that he would ever become champion, but the guy has a name and the kind of experience that can only be earned through 14 years of grueling competitive MMA action. He would have made an excellent addition to the budding flyweight division and it’s a shame that he wasn’t given a chance to prove it.
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