Tag: jeff curran

XFO 39 Results: Curran and Varner Victorious, Diego Sanchez Finds Soulmate

(Like we needed a reason to run this photo again. Props: MMARecap via MiddleEasy)

There were a lot of questions coming into last night’s XFO 39. Would this mark the last appearance of Jeff “Big Frog” Curran? How would Jamie Varner fair in what is not only his first fight since being released by the UFC, but a welterweight bout nonetheless? Can Felice Herrig vs. Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc possibly live up to the pre-fight staredown? The short answers are maybe, pretty well and of course not. Tune in after the jump for more details.

(Like we needed a reason to run this photo again. Props: MMARecap via MiddleEasy)

There were a lot of questions coming into last night’s XFO 39.  Would this mark the last appearance of Jeff “Big Frog” Curran? How would Jamie Varner fair in what is not only his first fight since being released by the UFC, but a welterweight bout nonetheless? Can Felice Herrig vs. Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc possibly live up to the pre-fight staredown?  The short answers are maybe, pretty well and of course not.  Tune in after the jump for more details.

Jeff Curran easily handled the .500 Strikeforce veteran Billy Vaughan.  When he wasn’t busy countering every strike Vaughan threw, Curran was attempting submissions from his guard.  However, Curran was unable to finish Vaughan, and instead ended up with a unanimous decision victory.

After the fight, Big Frog let it be known that he was just a little disappointed with his current situation.  “This is the last damn time I’m fighting in the XFO,” he said before announcing that unless the UFC offers him a contract, he plans on retiring.  Will a unanimous decision over Billy Vaughan be enough to get Jeff Curran a UFC contract? If not, then is Jeff Curran serious about retirement?  Only time will tell.  For what it’s worth, Jeff Curran told Sherdog.com after the fight that he was unable to finish off Billy Vaughan due to a foot injury he suffered during the fight.

In welterweight action, former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner handled journeyman Tyler Combs with ease.  Jamie Varner abused Combs on the feet before nailing a double-leg.  After working the ground and pound, Varner transitioned to north-south and locked in a deep choke that made Combs go out.  Total time? 90 seconds. 

As for Felice Herrig vs. Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc, all you need to see is Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc’s entrance.  Rivera-Calanoc walked out to the cage shouting “YES!”, Diego Sanchez style.  As for the actual fight, Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc spent most of the fight clinching with Felice Herrig, despite Herrig consistently getting the better of the clinch exchanges.  Herrig spent the rest of the fight controlling Rivera-Calanoc’s back on her way to a unanimous decision victory.

Main card results, courtesy of MMAmania.com:

Jeff Curran def. Billy Vaughan via unanimous decision
Jamie Varner def. Tyler Combs via technical submission (north-south choke) in round 1
Felice Herrig def. Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc via unanimous decision
Mike Stumpf def. Dan Bolden via unanimous decision in round 3
Dan Aguirre def. Terrance Kinney via submission (triangle armbar) in round 1

Jeff Curran Gets New Opponent; Jamie Varner to Stay on XFO 39 Card

Filed under: NewsFormer WEC title challenger Jeff Curran has received a new opponent for his main event fight at XFO 39 this Friday at the Sears Centre near Chicago.

Billy Vaughan, who in March made his Strikeforce debut in a loss to Jorge Gurgel, wil…

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Former WEC title challenger Jeff Curran has received a new opponent for his main event fight at XFO 39 this Friday at the Sears Centre near Chicago.

Billy Vaughan, who in March made his Strikeforce debut in a loss to Jorge Gurgel, will step in for Curran’s original opponent Joe Pearson, who was forced to withdraw after getting in a car accident, as first reported by MMAWeekly.com.

Due to the late notice, the fight will be contested at 145 pounds according to Curran’s management, SuckerPunch Entertainment. Curran, who has been reinventing himself in the 135 pound division, will move up just for this fight.

Various Fighters Confirm They’re Totally F*cking Themselves Up Doing This MMA Sh*t

("That’s the great thing about a Health Savings Account, James. The funds you put in there aren’t subject to federal income tax. It’s a no-brainer … no pun intended." PicProps: WorldStarHipHop.com)
File this under “Stuff We All Know…


("That’s the great thing about a Health Savings Account, James. The funds you put in there aren’t subject to federal income tax. It’s a no-brainer … no pun intended." PicProps: WorldStarHipHop.com)

File this under “Stuff We All Know, But Feel Uncomfortable Saying Out Loud.”

Serious, thought-provoking journalist Ben Fowlkes has a new piece out on Thursday in his continuing “The Truth About …” series over at MMA Fighting.com. This time Old Dad turns his steely, deadpan gaze on the long-term physical cost professional fighters must pay in order to live their dreams. The consensus from the athletes interviewed here seems to be, “Yeah, we know we’ll all be crippled or crazy someday, but it’s worth it. Sort of.” While many of the lasting effects of MMA competition may not yet even fully be known (since it’s such a comparatively young sport), credit Fowlkes for also getting comment from high-profile fight doc Johnny Benjamin, who says some interesting things about the risks involved in fighting, the need for comprehensive health coverage and – gasp! – maybe even a fighter’s union.

First though, who better to ask about his own mortality than a fighter you know is going to give it to you straight, or at least pop-off in a fairly entertaining way? So, what do you think about your future, Jason “Mayhem” Miller? 

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The Truth About Trading Tomorrow for Today

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, FanHouse ExclusiveFor 15 years, Frank Shamrock suffered through the bumps, bruises, and breaks that come along with being a pro fighter, and he never had to wonder whether it was worth it.

Not until one afternoon when h…

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For 15 years, Frank Shamrock suffered through the bumps, bruises, and breaks that come along with being a pro fighter, and he never had to wonder whether it was worth it.

Not until one afternoon when he was on his living room floor, trying to help his baby daughter learn to walk. A sudden back spasm struck him – one of many in a career plagued with lower back problems – and briefly paralyzed him on the floor.

“My daughter was around one [year old] at the time, so she didn’t know what was going on,” Shamrock said. “But I was like, I can’t even get up to help her, so I’m not sure how much more of this I should be doing. That’s about when I decided to stop.”

Jens Pulver: I’m Trying to Put Lil’ Evil to Bed

Filed under: FanHouse ExclusiveSome aging fighters continue on in this sport because they want to. Others do it because they have to.

If you’ve looked at the state of Jens Pulver’s career lately and wondered which category he falls into, you’re not a…

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Some aging fighters continue on in this sport because they want to. Others do it because they have to.

If you’ve looked at the state of Jens Pulver‘s career lately and wondered which category he falls into, you’re not alone. The thought has crossed his mind from time to time, too.

In fact, the more he thinks about it, the more the 36-year-old former UFC champion is starting to wonder if maybe that’s been his whole problem lately, and if there might still be time for him to fix it.

Moving Past Serious Depression, Jeff Curran Regains Focus

Filed under: FightingJeff Curran entered 2010 on a path back into the WEC, but it didn’t work out as he hoped.

While he waited for the organization to give him a specific date, Curran ended up taking a fight for Bellator in April, because he needed…

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Jeff Curran entered 2010 on a path back into the WEC, but it didn’t work out as he hoped.

While he waited for the organization to give him a specific date, Curran ended up taking a fight for Bellator in April, because he needed the extra money. Curran surprisingly lost the bout, eliminating any shot he had at one of his biggest goals for the year.

“[Fighting] is my only way of making a living,” Curran said Monday on The MMA Hour. “I don’t survive off my school. I actually support the school off of my fighting, so I had to stay busy and tried to do something … and when we looked at the original matchup it was a great matchup.”