Jeff Curran - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Jeffrey M. Curran is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

. He fights at a number of different weight classes for a large number of organizations, including: Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...

(UFC), Strikeforce

Strikeforce

Strikeforce is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts and kickboxing organization based in San Jose, California. It is headed by CEO Scott Coker and owned by Zuffa, LLC...

, PRIDE Fighting Championship, World Extreme Cagefighting

World Extreme Cagefighting

World Extreme Cagefighting was an American mixed martial arts promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship , in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller...

(WEC), International Fight League

International Fight League

The International Fight League was an American mixed martial arts promotion billed as the world's first MMA league. It was founded on January 7, 2006 and closed on July 31, 2008...

(IFL), and King of the Cage

King of the Cage

King of the Cage, also known as KOTC, is a mixed martial arts promotion based in Southern California, USA.-History:KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock. KOTC features up and coming MMA stars as well as experienced combat fighters....

(KOTC).

Early life

Curran started his path towards mixed martial arts with Karate

Karate

is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...

and Tae Kwon Do at The Age of 5. Curran has trained for 16 years and has fought for 5 years. He began wrestling

Wrestling

Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...

in the 4th grade and did that until his freshman year when he began Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...

. Jeff also says that as a teen he would box with his grandfather. Jeff holds a rank of 2nd degree black belt under Professor Pedro Sauer

Pedro Sauer

Pedro Sauer is an 8th-degree Brazilian Jiu Jitsu red and black belt under Rickson Gracie and Helio Gracie. On May 17, 2005, he was named "Best of the Best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instructor" in a worldwide poll conducted by the Abu Dhabi Combat Club ....

. He is also known as one of the most technical instructors in the Pedro Sauer Jiu-Jitsu Association. Jeff credits Royce Gracie

Royce Gracie

Royce Gracie is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, a UFC Hall of Famer and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A legend and pioneer in the sport of mixed martial arts, he is widely considered to be the most influential figure in the history of modern MMA.Gracie gained fame for his...

as being the fighter that made him want to start.

Jeff is president and head instructor of Curran Martial Arts Academy (CMA). He is also owner and promoter of X-treme Fighting Organization. Jeff appeared on the television series Tapout

TapouT (TV series)

TapouT is an American reality television series that focuses on the world of mixed martial arts. The series premiered on Versus on June 3, 2007 before moving to its regular Wednesday night timeslot beginning June 6...

on Versus

Versus (TV channel)

Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...

with fellow Team Curran pro Fighter Matt Fiordirosa.

WEC career

After fifteen victories in sixteen fights, Curran fought Urijah Faber

Urijah Faber

Urijah Christopher Faber is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. Faber won the WEC featherweight championship at WEC 19 on March 17, 2006 and held the title for over two years until his loss to Mike Brown at WEC...

for the WEC featherweight championship. Faber retained his title by defeating Curran via guillotine choke

Guillotine choke

The guillotine choke is a chokehold in martial arts and wrestling applied from in front of the opponent. The choke involves using the arms to encircle the opponent's neck in a fashion similar to a guillotine. The technique is either a type of tracheal compression restraint that prevents air flow...

. Curran then lost a pair of unanimous decision

Unanimous decision

A unanimous decision is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking in which all three judges agree on which fighter won the match....

s, first to former WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown

Mike Brown (fighter)

Mike Thomas Brown is an American mixed martial artist. He currently fights as a featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization and is a former WEC Featherweight Champion...

and then his bantamweight division debut to Joseph Benavidez

Joseph Benavidez

Joseph Rolando Benavidez is an American mixed martial artist. After fighting in smaller shows while working as a screen printer in Las Cruces, New Mexico, he joined up with Urijah Faber's Team Alpha Male in 2007. He has since fought in Dream and most recently the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion...

at WEC 40

WEC 40

WEC 40: Torres vs. Mizugaki was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on April 5, 2009 at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois. The event aired live on the Versus Network....

. His most recent WEC fight was against Takeya Mizugaki

Takeya Mizugaki

Takeya Mizugaki is a Japanese mixed martial artist who currently competes in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of October 2011, Mizugaki is ranked the #10 bantamweight in the world by Sherdog....

on August 9, 2009 WEC 42

WEC 42

WEC 42: Torres vs. Bowles was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on August 9, 2009 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NevadaThe event drew an estimated 670,000 viewers on Versus.-Preliminary card:...

; he lost by a split decision.

Post WEC

After losing 4 consecutive fights in the WEC

World Extreme Cagefighting

, it was announced on October 20, 2009 that Curran had signed a two fight contract with North American promotion Strikeforce. He maintains that his ultimate goal is to return to the WEC, but is 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

Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers

Strikeforce / M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Rogers was a mixed martial arts event held on November 7, 2009. It was the first MMA event on network television since the now-defunct EliteXC promotion broadcast its final event, EliteXC: Heat, on CBS on October 4, 2008. The event had a four-fight main card...

, in Chicago, winning over Dustin Neace by submission in the first round. Curran would later defeat Tomohiko Hori via unanimous decision at XFO 34. Curran most recently lost a unanimous decision to Bryan Goldsby

Bryan Goldsby

Bryan Goldsby is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He is currently signed by Bellator Fighting Championships.-MMA career:...

in a non tournament bantamweight bout at Bellator 14. Curran has lost 5 out of his last 7 fights.

This Is The Fight

Jeff announced that he will be featured in an upcoming documentary entitled "This is the Fight". it is expected to be released in early fall 2010. the film will be about Jeff's 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.

Curran faced David Love at XFO 37 on December 4, 2010. Although breaking his right forearm towards the end of the fight, He was able to win the fight by unanimous decision. He underwent surgery for the injury on New Year's Day 2011.

Curran is scheduled to headline XFO 39 on May 13 at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. He took on late replacement Billy Vaughan and won via unanimous decision.

UFC Return

Curran in July 2011 signed a new multi-fight contract to return to the UFC. His first fight back was against Scott Jorgensen

Scott Jorgensen

Scott Roger Jorgensen is an American mixed martial artist competing in the UFC Bantamweight division and is a member of the Twisted Genetiks Fight Team based out of Boise, Idaho. He is considered a perennial top 5 ranked bantamweight fighter...

, who was ranked the No. 4 bantamweight in the world by MMAWeekly.com at the time that Curran returned to the promotion.Curran lost by unanimous decision.

Personal life

Jeff and his wife Sarah have a son named Ty, who was born in March 2007. The couple had their second son, Jacob, in December 2008.

Mixed martial arts record

Scott Jorgensen

|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 137

UFC 137

UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 29, 2011 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Hoffman Estates is a northwestern suburb of Chicago in Illinois. The village is located primarily in Cook County with a small section in Kane County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 49,495 and estimated to be 52,520 in 2003...

Lakemoor, Illinois

Lakemoor is a village in Lake and McHenry counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 2,788 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lakemoor is located at ....

Bryan Goldsby

Bryan Goldsby is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He is currently signed by Bellator Fighting Championships.-MMA career:...

Lakemoor, Illinois

Lakemoor is a village in Lake and McHenry counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 2,788 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lakemoor is located at ....

Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers

Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Takeya Mizugaki

|Decision (split)
|WEC 42

WEC 42

Las Vegas, Nevada

Joseph Benavidez

|Decision (unanimous)
|WEC 40

WEC 40

WEC 40: Torres vs. Mizugaki was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on April 5, 2009 at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois. The event aired live on the Versus Network....

Mike Brown (fighter)

Mike Thomas Brown is an American mixed martial artist. He currently fights as a featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization and is a former WEC Featherweight Champion...

|Decision (unanimous)
|WEC 34

WEC 34

WEC 34: Faber vs. Pulver was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on June 1, 2008 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. The main event, announced on WEC 33, was a bout between Jens Pulver and Urijah Faber for the WEC Featherweight Championship. WEC 34...

Sacramento, California

Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...

Urijah Faber

|Submission (guillotine choke)
|WEC 31

WEC 31

WEC 31: Faber vs. Curran was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting . The event took place on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada and was aired live on the Versus Network....

Las Vegas, Nevada

, United States
|For WEC Featherweight Championship
|-
|Win
|align=center|29-8-1
|Stephen Ledbetter
|Decision (unanimous)
|WEC 29

WEC 29

WEC 29: Condit vs. Larson was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting. The event took place on Sunday, August 5, 2007 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event aired live on the Versus Network....

Las Vegas, Nevada

Moline, Illinois

Moline is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 45,792 in 2010. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. The Quad Cities has a population of...

, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|26-8-1
|Donny Walker

Donny Walker

Donny Walker is an American mixed martial artist who trains alongside fellow UFC veteran Jason "Dynamite" Dent at the GriffonRawl MMA Academy in Mentor, Ohio.- Mixed martial arts career :...

Rockford, Illinois

Rockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated...

Hoffman Estates, Illinois

, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|24-8-1
|Wagnney Fabiano

Wagnney Fabiano

|-|Loss|align=center|14-3| Joseph Benavidez|Submission |WEC 52||align=center|2|align=center|2:45|Las Vegas, Nevada, USA||-|Win|align=center|14-2| Frank Gomez|Decision |WEC 49||align=center|3|align=center|5:00...

Hatsu Hioki

is a Japanese mixed martial artist signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship competing in the featherweight division. He is the former Shooto Lightweight Champion and former Sengoku Featherweight Champion...

|Decision (unanimous)
|PRIDE Bushido 12

PRIDE Bushido 12

-Bushido Rules:* In BUSHIDO fights are two rounds . The first round is ten minutes, and the second round is five minutes. There are no extra rounds. If the fight goes the distance then judges decide on a winner....

|
|align=center|2
|align=center|5:00
|Nagoya, Japan
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|23-7-1
|Charles Bennett
|Submission (armbar)
|KOTC: Redemtion on the River
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|3:23
|Moline, Illinois

Moline, Illinois

, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|22-7-1
|Antonio Carvalho

Antonio Carvalho

Antonio Carvalho is a Canadian professional mixed martial artist and Shooto veteran who has fought for TKO Major League MMA, Maximum Fighting Championship, Ironheart Crown, Cage Force and Warrior-1 MMA...

Hammond, Indiana

Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....

Lakemoor, Illinois

Lakemoor is a village in Lake and McHenry counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 2,788 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lakemoor is located at ....

Honolulu, Hawaii

Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...

, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|19-7-1
|David Douglas

David Douglas (fighter)

David Douglas is an American professional mixed martial artist. He competes in the lightweight division and is currently signed with Strikeforce.-MMA Career:...

Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...

, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|18-7-1
|Jason Dent

Jason Dent

Jason William Dent is an American mixed martial artist. The Lightweight competitor has held several regional championships, most recently he won the IFBL Welterweight Championship. He runs the GriffonRawl MMA Academy in Mentor, Ohio, and previously hosted an MMA oriented radio talk show on WWGK...

McHenry, Illinois

McHenry is a city in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. In 2005, its population was estimated to be 24,631. McHenry was at one time the county seat of McHenry County...

, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|17-7-1
|Masahiro Oishi
|Technical Submission (guillotine choke)
|Zst 6
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|0:44
|Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

Honolulu, Hawaii

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

Lake Geneva is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,148 at the 2000 census. A resort city located on Geneva Lake, it is southwest of Milwaukee and popular with tourists from metropolitan Chicago and Milwaukee.-History:...

Matt Serra

Matthew John Serra is an American mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion and an ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship silver medalist. He began practicing martial arts at an early age, first studying kung fu...

|Decision (Unanimous)
|UFC 46

UFC 46

UFC 46: Supernatural was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 31, 2004, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States, and later released on DVD.-History:Headlining the card was a...

Las Vegas, Nevada

Norifumi Yamamoto

is a Japanese mixed martial artist and kickboxer. He is associated with Purebred Tokyo and Krazy Bee. He quickly gained popularity in the Shooto organization due to his aggressive, well-rounded style and controversial persona...

Honolulu, Hawaii

WFA 3: Level 3

WFA 3: Level 3 was a mixed martial arts event held by World Fighting Alliance on November 23, 2002 at The Aladdin in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.-Results: Jeff Curran vs. Todd LallyCurran defeated Lally via Submission in round 1 at 4:49...

Las Vegas, Nevada

Hammond, Indiana

Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....

Honolulu, Hawaii

, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|11-5-1
|Bao Quach

Bao Quach

Bao Quach is a Vietnamese-American featherweight professional mixed martial artist who has fought for Bellator, Affliction, EliteXC, Strikeforce, World Extreme Cagefighting, King of the Cage, ICON Sport and Shooto promotions. Bao has defeated the likes of Chris David, Cole Escovedo, and Doug Evans...

|Decision (majority)
|WEC 4

WEC 4

WEC 4: Rumble Under The Sun was a mixed martial arts event held on August 31, 2002 at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. WEC 4s main event was a fight between Aaron Brink and Jeremy Horn.- Results :...

Uncasville, Connecticut

Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut. The area traditionally known as Uncasville is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River...

Ivan Menjivar

Ivan Menjivar is a Salvadoran-Canadian professional mixed martial artist currently fighting in the bantamweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Mixed martial arts career:...

Hull, Quebec

Hull is the central and oldest part of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa. As part of the Canadian National Capital Region, it contains offices for twenty thousand...

Hammond, Indiana

Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....

Anthony Hamlett

Anthony Hamlett is an American mixed martial artist and fight promoter from Washington State. He is the head coach and manager of Northwest Elite Fight Team...

Evansville, Indiana

Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...

Evansville, Indiana

, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|9-3
|Jamie Webb
|Submission (punches)
|Freestyle Combat Challenge 3
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|2:44
|N/A
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|8-3
|Tony DeDolph
|Decision (split)
|Extreme Challenge 31
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Kenosha, Wisconsin

Kenosha, Wisconsin

Kenosha is a city and the county seat of Kenosha County in the State of Wisconsin in United States. With a population of 99,218 as of May 2011, Kenosha is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Kenosha is also the fourth-largest city on the western shore of Lake Michigan, following Chicago,...

McHenry, Illinois

McHenry is a city in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. In 2005, its population was estimated to be 24,631. McHenry was at one time the county seat of McHenry County...

Phil Johns

Phil "Little Giant" Johns is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division. He lost his last fight at FCC 22 - Freestyle Combat Challenge 22 against Sherron Leggett on March 18, 2006....

Green Bay, Wisconsin

Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...

Phil Johns

Evansville, Indiana

, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|5-1
|Charles Barron
|Submission (armbar)
|Chicago Challenge 6
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|N/A
|Chicago, Illinois, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|4-1
|Sam Wells
|Decision
|Freestyle Combat Challenge 1
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|15:00
|N/A
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|3-1
|Jeff Rick
|Submission (rear-naked choke)
|HOOKnSHOOT: Trial
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|0:44
|Evansville, Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

Kenosha, Wisconsin

, United States
|

External links

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