Tag: jeff curran

Friday Link Dump: Hendo Drops TRT, Redneck Technology, Comic-Con Cosplay + More

(MMA Nostradamus Alert: Jeff Curran predicts the future while preparing Felice Herrig for her Bellator 94 bout against Heather Clark. / Video via 1inchBoom)

Dan Henderson Explains Decision to Drop TRT Before UFC 161 (FiveOuncesofPain)

Daniel Cormier Tweets UFC 166 ‘Contract’ to Roy Nelson (BleacherReport)

Dana White Blasts Sports Illustrated for Suggesting Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva Was Fixed (MMAFighting)

Support Shown for MMA Bout Between Disabled Fighters (USAToday)

Matyushenko-M’Pumbu Headline Bellator 99, Freire-Nunes Set for 145 Tourney (MMAJunkie)

Brittney Palmer: Top 10 Sexiest Instagram Pics (FightDay)

The 15 Best Movies Inspired By True Events (Complex)

The Mens Fitness Sex Guide (MensFitness)

Real Life GTA-Style Driving [VIDEO] (DoubleViking)

The 20 Greatest Achievements In Redneck Technology History (WorldWideInterweb)

5 Accessories That Automatically Make You a Douchebag (EgoTV)

The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi Is Already a Fiasco (SportsOnEarth)

Why Women Love Losers (MadeMan)

Hottest Comic-Con Cosplay, Day 1 (Break)


(MMA Nostradamus Alert: Jeff Curran predicts the future while preparing Felice Herrig for her Bellator 94 bout against Heather Clark. / Video via 1inchBoom)

Dan Henderson Explains Decision to Drop TRT Before UFC 161 (FiveOuncesofPain)

Daniel Cormier Tweets UFC 166 ‘Contract’ to Roy Nelson (BleacherReport)

Dana White Blasts Sports Illustrated for Suggesting Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva Was Fixed (MMAFighting)

Support Shown for MMA Bout Between Disabled Fighters (USAToday)

Matyushenko-M’Pumbu Headline Bellator 99, Freire-Nunes Set for 145 Tourney (MMAJunkie)

Brittney Palmer: Top 10 Sexiest Instagram Pics (FightDay)

The 15 Best Movies Inspired By True Events (Complex)

The Mens Fitness Sex Guide (MensFitness)

Real Life GTA-Style Driving [VIDEO] (DoubleViking)

The 20 Greatest Achievements In Redneck Technology History (WorldWideInterweb)

5 Accessories That Automatically Make You a Douchebag (EgoTV)

The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi Is Already a Fiasco (SportsOnEarth)

Why Women Love Losers (MadeMan)

Hottest Comic-Con Cosplay, Day 1 (Break)

Jeff Curran Pulls Out of Fight with Sergio Pettis – Earns Dog Owner of the Year Honors


(“In the arms of the angel, flyyy awaaayyyyy from here…” | Jeff Curran Twitter)

WEC and UFC veteran Jeff Curran once fought at 155 pounds, but these days the thirty five year-old is campaigning at 125 pounds in an effort to give some new fire to his career. He looked serious about his effort to get back into the big show when he signed to fight top prospect Sergio Pettis at RFA 8 this past Friday in Milwaukee, WI.

Pettis is undefeated and nineteen years old. He’s also the younger brother of top UFC moneyweight contender Anthony Pettis. You may have heard that Pettis won Friday night, but not against Curran. The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt pulled out at the last minute and was replaced by Dillard Pegg.

Pettis finished Pegg with apparent ease in the first round, but the real story here is the reason why Curran says he pulled out of the fight in the first place.

Curran didn’t get injured. His dog did.


(“In the arms of the angel, flyyy awaaayyyyy from here…” | Jeff Curran Twitter)

WEC and UFC veteran Jeff Curran once fought at 155 pounds, but these days the thirty five year-old is campaigning at 125 pounds in an effort to give some new fire to his career. He looked serious about his effort to get back into the big show when he signed to fight top prospect Sergio Pettis at RFA 8 this past Friday in Milwaukee, WI.

Pettis is undefeated and nineteen years old. He’s also the younger brother of top UFC moneyweight contender Anthony Pettis. You may have heard that Pettis won Friday night, but not against Curran. The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt pulled out at the last minute and was replaced by Dillard Pegg.

Pettis finished Pegg with apparent ease in the first round, but the real story here is the reason why Curran says he pulled out of the fight in the first place.

Curran didn’t get injured. His dog did.

We haven’t seen or heard much of an explanation about the situation from Curran yet, but he was busy defending himself on Twitter this past weekend. Turns out, Curran’s family dog was injured badly, breaking both arms recently. As a result, Curran pulled out of the RFA 8 bout with Pettis.

“The only people that deserve explanation of my reasons to pull from this fight was @RFAfighting and my team/family. None of anyones Biz!” Curran tweeted on June 21st.

He went on, “i am a 16 year pro who never missed dude. i fought sick, injured after family tragedy. grow up”

The fighter suggested through his tweets that it wasn’t simply about his dog, but also about supporting his kids and being there for his wife who needed help during this time of difficulty.

When the twitterverse criticized Curran for his decision, things got real. “introduce yourself to me if u ever see me, i will knock your teeth in.. no charge,” he replied to one critic.

“remove ‘dog lover’ from your bio and add ‘family hater’ to it. then your comment will fit your profile,” he tweeted at another.

A full picture of the Curran family saga isn’t yet available, but you can check out the strange, long string of tweets on his account for yourself. It kinda sounds like his dog got messed up, and it would have been a gigantic hassle for his wife to take care of it and a houseful of kids, to say nothing of the business affairs from his gym, while he went away for a few days to fight. What do we know?

In any case, Curran says that his dog is on the mend. What would you degenerates have done if you were in Curran’s shoes this past week: Stay at home with the family and crippled dog or head to Milwaukee for a weekend of fighting, hookers and blow?

– Elias Cepeda

Veteran Jeff Curran to Retire If He Loses to Sergio Pettis at RFA 8

Jeff Curran likes his chances at flyweight. But at the end stage of a 15-year career, the veteran of just about every major promotion in the sport’s history is a lot less fond of the farm-league grind. That explains both his confidence heading in…

Jeff Curran likes his chances at flyweight. But at the end stage of a 15-year career, the veteran of just about every major promotion in the sport’s history is a lot less fond of the farm-league grind.

That explains both his confidence heading into his tangle with teen phenom Sergio Pettis and his announcement that he’ll leave the cage for good if he doesn’t net a victory June 21 at Resurrection Fighting Alliance 8.

“I will retire after my next loss, unless it’s in the UFC,” Curran said in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report. “I don’t have any interest in treading water outside the UFC and trying to draw out my career.”

The 35-year-old Curran (34-15-1) has drawn paychecks from more than 20 different MMA promotions during his career, including Pride, Bellator, the WEC and Strikeforce. The popular veteran has taken multiple runs in the granddaddy of them all, but despite Curran’s three attempts, a referee has never raised his hand in the UFC Octagon.

Curran’s last UFC fight—a May 2012 decision loss to bantamweight Johnny Eduardo—came only a few months after the promotion announced it would create a flyweight division. Following that loss, Curran stepped away from the sport for a while, but the UFC’s newest weight class presented an open window in a room of closed doors, and as such was too strong a lure to ignore. Almost exactly one year to the day after the Eduardo fight, Curran resurfaced as a flyweight. In his debut and fighting on short notice, Curran defeated Josh Killon in the Extreme Challenge promotion.

Now with fresh momentum, Curran said he’s feeling strong at 125 pounds and suspects this fourth weight class could be the charm. His only goal these days when it comes to combat is stringing together enough success for a crack at the UFC’s flyweight stable. Curran started his career as a lightweight and is unquestionably large for the UFC’s lightest division.

“Back when I fought Eduardo, I went ‘my God, he’s huge,’” Curran recalled. “I had a hard time getting near him. It’s been the same with other guys throughout my career. But now, being at 125 pounds, it changes things. I’m not going to run into the height or size problems.”

From a fighting perspective, Curran and Pettis (7-0) could not be more different if they tried. Curran has more than eight times as many fights as Pettis and is almost twice Pettis’ age (he made his pro debut when Pettis was only four). Curran’s bread and butter is grappling; Pettis prefers precision striking in the vein of his famous older brother, Anthony. Curran has more than twice as many submission wins (19) as Pettis does total professional fights.

Curran knows all of this. He knows he’s being used as a measuring stick for the exciting young buck, one of several on the RFA roster, which has positioned itself as a successful UFC feeder league.

“There’s a lot of hope for [Pettis] in the sport, and I’ll tell everyone where he stands,” Curran said. “I think I have the tools to beat him.”

Curran’s passion for the sport has never been in doubt. He counts several pro fighters—including his cousin, Bellator featherweight champ Pat Curran—as clients in his Illinois gym, Team Curran MMA. He’s known to fans as a consummate gamer, the veteran who, in 60 contests, has been stopped on only five occasions despite not having unparalleled skills.

So why the advanced decision to retire with another loss? 

“I have a lot of responsibilities on the business front for my gym and my classes,” Curran said. “I have two little boys. If I’m not at the top of the sport, I want to focus elsewhere.”

First, though, it’s time to saddle up for one final ride at that last elusive windmill.

“This is one last chance to make something special happen at the end here,” Curran said. “I’ve had some rough runs. It was my dream to win in the UFC and make everybody feel proud about being my fan.”

 

Scott Harris is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. Follow him on Twitter @ScottHarrisMMA. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Mark Hominick: "I Feel Like I’m Fighting for My Job Every Day"

When it comes performance, MMA is like the NFL. If you perform badly, you get cut. In the UFC, if you lose three fights in a row, you usually get cut. If you lose four in a row, you will certainly get cut, except if you are Dan Hardy. Mark Hominick is …

When it comes performance, MMA is like the NFL. If you perform badly, you get cut. In the UFC, if you lose three fights in a row, you usually get cut. If you lose four in a row, you will certainly get cut, except if you are Dan Hardy. Mark Hominick is in that situation as he squares off against Pablo Garza in featherweight action to kick off the main card portion of UFC 154 this Saturday night.

UFC 154 takes places from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The main card begins at 10 p.m. Eastern on pay-per-view.

Hominick suffered his third straight loss against Eddie Yagin at UFC 145 in April by split decision. It was a fight a lot of people felt Hominick won. The Canadian thought he won the fight, but felt he did things wrong in the fight that swayed the judges’ decision. Hominick told Bleacher Report,

I thought I won the fight. He (Yagin) landed two big power shots that scored knockdowns and that’s what got him the nod. On my end, I think I was a little bit too one dimensional in that fight. I treated it like a boxing match. I wasn’t mixing it up with kicks and takedowns.

For this camp, I focused on going back to my roots. I come from a kickboxing background and that put everything back to full circle. My grappling and wrestling game is always improving. I’m keeping it simple.

Hominick used to be trained by Shawn Tompkins until his tragic passing in August of 2011. Hominick reverted back to earlier fighting days as he brought in former UFC bantamweight Jeff Curran for his fight against Yagin, and Curran is around for this fight as well.

When Shawn passed away, each one of us from the team realized we had to find a head coach. We are not ever leaving Team Tompkins because we are still that core unit. We also need a leader in that corner. It was an easy decision to go with Jeff because I started with Jeff in 2004-2005.

He cornered me for my first two fights with Shawn against Yves Edwards at UFC 58 and Jorge Gurgel after that. I was very comfortable with him as a coach, as a person and as a friend. It was a very easy transition for me.

Tompkins and Hominick were as close as close can be. They were the best of friends outside of the cage. People can go through severe funks, and when you’re a fighter, you have to have supreme focus at all times. Hominick has lost his last two fights without Tompkins and feels that Tompkins’ passing hasn’t affected him more than he realized and caused the losing streak to continue.

I don’t want to use that as an excuse at all. It has motivated me because I know that I have a responsibility to carry on his name and legacy. It has never been like that. Obviously I will have a piece of me that’s always going to be missing whether it’s in my corner, during training camp or just everyday life.

That’s something that I’m going to have to figure out as I go. Because there isn’t one person that’s going to be replacing him, no question about that. I don’t look at it as something that’s bringing me down.

After fighting for 11 years like Hominck has, sometimes the ability to find that hunger and motivation to fight can start to wane. The featherweight says that hasn’t ever been the case.

Hunger and motivation has never been a factor in my life. I’ve always been hungry, motivated and been in shape. I’ve always woke up in the morning and not any other desire, but to get on the mat and train. Anyone who has trained with me or worked with me knows that.

Hominick‘s opponent this Saturday, Pablo Garza, is riding a two-fight losing streak heading into the fight. The former featherweight title contender knows Garza poses challenges for him heading into this key tilt.

He’s (Garza) very dangerous. I think the biggest thing is his height and reach. He’s the biggest guy in the featherweight division. His reach on the ground and on the feet are major advantages for him in the fight.

This is a fight where both guys are fighting to keep their jobs, but the man known as ‘The Machine” has a different and unique take.

“I feel like I’m fighting for my job every day,” Hominick stated. “The thing I’m fighting for is the W.”

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand.

You can also follow me on Twitter @fightclubchi.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Bad Idea of the Day: Former Lightweight/Featherweight/Bantamweight Jeff Curran Plans to Take the UFC by Storm as a Flyweight


(“Good job, good effort.” — James Irvin)

Jeff Curran is living proof that dropping a weight class in MMA often has a negligible effect on your level of success. After kicking off his career as a lightweight — and losing a decision to Matt Serra in his Octagon debut way back at UFC 46 in 2004 — the BJJ black belt eventually transitioned to featherweight to pursue a championship belt in the WEC. Unfortunately, Curran took back-to-back losses against Urijah Faber and Mike Brown, which inspired him to drop another ten pounds. He didn’t fare any better at 135 either, losing decisions to Joseph Benavidez and Takeya Mizugaki in 2009 before exiting the promotion.

After two years of purgatory — in which he went 4-1 competing for the XFO and on Strikeforce and Bellator preliminary cards — the UFC brought Curran back for another run at bantamweight. And after two more losses to Scott Jorgensen and Johnny Eduardo, Big Frog was back at square one. And now there’s this:

Veteran fighter Jeff Curran (33-15-1 MMA, 0-3 UFC), whom the UFC released following back-to-back losses to bantamweights Johnny Eduardo and Scott Jorgensen, is headed to the flyweight division. That’s according to his cousin and training partner, Bellator featherweight champion Pat Curran.

“I don’t know how he’s going to make it, but he’s going to find a way,” Pat recently told MMAjunkie.com…Pat, who defeated Joe Warren for the Bellator belt earlier this year, took up the sport at his cousin’s urging. He said his mentor figure now is planning to regroup on the regional scene in the new weight class.


(“Good job, good effort.” — James Irvin)

Jeff Curran is living proof that dropping a weight class in MMA often has a negligible effect on your level of success. After kicking off his career as a lightweight — and losing a decision to Matt Serra in his Octagon debut way back at UFC 46 in 2004 — the BJJ black belt eventually transitioned to featherweight to pursue a championship belt in the WEC. Unfortunately, Curran took back-to-back losses against Urijah Faber and Mike Brown, which inspired him to drop another ten pounds. He didn’t fare any better at 135 either, losing decisions to Joseph Benavidez and Takeya Mizugaki in 2009 before exiting the promotion.

After two years of purgatory — in which he went 4-1 competing for the XFO and on Strikeforce and Bellator preliminary cards — the UFC brought Curran back for another run at bantamweight. And after two more losses to Scott Jorgensen and Johnny Eduardo, Big Frog was back at square one. And now there’s this:

Veteran fighter Jeff Curran (33-15-1 MMA, 0-3 UFC), whom the UFC released following back-to-back losses to bantamweights Johnny Eduardo and Scott Jorgensen, is headed to the flyweight division. That’s according to his cousin and training partner, Bellator featherweight champion Pat Curran.

“I don’t know how he’s going to make it, but he’s going to find a way,” Pat recently told MMAjunkie.com…Pat, who defeated Joe Warren for the Bellator belt earlier this year, took up the sport at his cousin’s urging. He said his mentor figure now is planning to regroup on the regional scene in the new weight class.

“I think he’s going to have a couple of fights outside the UFC and then (UFC officials will) possibly bring him back in,” Pat said. “I don’t know the whole details, but I think he’s going to fight at…the end of August in the XFO, possibly fight at another show, and try to get an offer in the UFC.”

The UFC launched its flyweight division earlier this year. Ian McCall and Demetrious Johnson’s rematch headlines Friday’s UFC on FX 3 event, and the winner fights Joseph Benavidez later this year to determine the UFC’s inaugural flyweight champion. The new 125-pound weight class has provided new life for former bantamweight-title challengers such as Benavidez and Johnson, as well as vets such John Dodson, Louis Gaudinot and Darren Uyenoyama. Jeff Curran now looks to join that group.

Looking at the above photo of Curran’s last bantamweight weigh-in, you have to wonder where that next ten pounds is going to come from. If you compare it to this earlier photo of Curran at 145, you’ll see that he had to shed his hair and a noticeable amount of muscle to make 135 in the first place. Is competing in the UFC really worth jeopardizing your kidneys and turning yourself into a living skeleton, just so you can get out-wrestled by Demetrious Johnson and fired again? It seems like a decision born more out of desperation than logic.

Far be it from me to tell a fighter how to run his career, but…damn, Jeff Curran is going to look rough at 125.

UFC: Firing Jeff Curran Was a Mistake

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 o…

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.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com