Pat Curran
 |
Name | Pat Curran |
| Nickname | Paddy Mike | |
| Association | Team Curran / Curran Martial Arts Academy | |
| Weight Class | Lightweight (155 lbs.) | |
| Height | 5' 9" (176 cm) | |
| Style | Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | |
| Birth Date | August 31, 1987 | |
| Fighting Out Of | Island Lake, Illinois | |
| Country | USA | |
| Pat Curran Pictures | Official Website |
Pat Curran is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a Lightweight. He has fought primarily with Xtreme Fighting Organization (XFO), and is the cousin of WEC veteran, and former Featherweight title challenger Jeff Curran.
Curran won the 2010 Bellator Lightweight Tournament by defeating Toby Imada in the finals, earning a shot at the Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez.
Contents |
Professional Record
| Record | 19 - 4 - 0 (Win – Loss – Draw) |
| Wins | 5 (T)KOs 6 Submissions 8 Decisions |
| Losses | 0 (T)KOs 1 Submissions 3 Decisions |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event Title | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Shahbulat Shamhalaev | Decision (Split) | Bellator 95: Curran vs. Shamhalaev | 4/4/2013 | 1 | 2:38 | Defended Bellator Featherweight Championship |
| Win | Patricio Freire | Decision (Split) | Bellator 85: Chandler vs. Hawn | 1/17/2013 | 5 | 5:00 | Defended Bellator Featherweight Championship |
| Win | Joe Warren | KO (Punches) | BFC: Bellator Fighting Championships 60 | 3/9/2012 | 3 | 1:25 | Won Bellator Featherweight Championship |
| Win | Marlon Sandro | KO (Head Kick) | BFC: Bellator Fighting Championships 48 | 8/20/2011 | 2 | 4:00 | 2011 Summer Series Featherweight Tournament Final; Won 2011 Summer Series Featherweight Tournament |
| Win | Ronnie Mann | Decision (Unanimous) | BFC: Bellator Fighting Championships 47 | 7/23/2011 | 3 | 5:00 | 2011 Summer Series Featherweight Tournament Semifinal |
| Win | Luis Palomino | Submission (Peruvian Necktie) | BFC: Bellator Fighting Championships 46 | 6/25/2011 | 1 | 3:49 | 2011 Summer Series Featherweight Tournament Quarterfinal |
| Loss | Eddie Alvarez | Decision (Unanimous) | BFC: Bellator Fighting Championships 39 | 4/02/2011 | 5 | 5:00 | For Bellator Lightweight Championship |
| Win | Toby Imada | Decision (Split) | BFC: Bellator Fighting Championships 21 | 6/10/2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Season Two Lightweight Tournament Final; Won Season Two Welterweight Tournament |
| Win | Roger Huerta | Decision (Unanimous) | BFC: Bellator Fighting Championships 17 | 5/06/2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Season Two Lightweight Tournament Semifinal |
| Win | Mike Ricci | KO (Punch) | BFC: Bellator Fighting Championships 14 | 4/15/2010 | 1 | 3:01 | Season Two Lightweight Tournament Opening Round |
| Win | Robbie Olivier | Decision (Unanimous) | Trojan MMA: Trojan Warfare | 2/27/2010 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Travis Perzynski | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | XFO 34: Curran vs. Hori | 12/05/2009 | 2 | 4:38 | |
| Win | Jay Ellis | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | XFO: Xtreme Fighting Organization 32 | 10/10/2009 | 1 | 0:58 | |
| Win | Luke Gwaltney | TKO | XFO: Xtreme Fighting Organization 31 | 8/15/2009 | 1 | 1:32 | |
| Loss | Charles Diaz | Decision (Split) | EFC: Elite Fighting Challenge 4 | 6/27/2009 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Mike Pickett | Submission | XFO: Xtreme Fighting Organization 30 | 5/02/2009 | 1 | 1:56 | |
| Win | Daniel Strauss | KO (Punches) | XFO: Xtreme Fighting Organization 29 | 4/17/2009 | 2 | 1:31 | |
| Win | Ramiro Hernandez | Decision (Unanimous) | AMMA 2: Adrenaline MMA 2 | 12/11/2008 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Darren Elkins | Decision (Unanimous) | C3: Domination | 11/22/2008 | 3 | 5:00 | For C3 Lightweight Championship |
| Win | Jay Ellis | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | EC 110: Extreme Challenge 110 | 11/07/2008 | 1 | 0:51 | |
| Win | Amir Khillah | Decision (Split) | XFO: Xtreme Fighting Organization 25 | 8/09/2008 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Lazar Stojadinovic | Decision (Unanimous) | XFO 23: Xtreme Fighting Organization 23 | 4/25/2008 | 3 | 5:00 | Bout featured on TapouT reality series |
| Win | Tony Hervey | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | XFO 22: Xtreme Fighting Organization 22 | 2/23/2008 | 1 | 1:24 | |
Mixed Martial Arts Career
Curran was a Florida High School Wrestling stand-out who went on to study Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with his cousin Jeff Curran at the young age of 17. It was during this summer of training that Curran decided to pursue mixed martial arts as a career. After making his debut in 2008, against and defeating Tony Hervey (a future KOTC Lightweight Champion), he fought his second professional bout against Lazar Stojadinovic, who had previously had a dominating performance over Curran's teammate Ben Miller, who suffered a broken jaw in the bout, at an Extreme Challenge event on January 26, 2008. The bout was featured on the TapouT reality series on the Versus Channel, giving Curran his first mainstream performance.
TapouT
Curran was featured on the TapouT reality series on Versus Channel. Curran trains under his cousin, former WEC Featherweight title challenger Jeff Curran at his gym in Crystal Lake, Illinois. On the show, between training sessions, Pat got his first tattoo and he, Jeff and the crew do an autograph session at a Chicago clothing store. At the official weigh-in, Pat gets his first look at his opponent, Lazar Stozadinovic. Lazar has fought another of Jeff's students and broke his jaw, so Pat reviews footage of that fight. The fighters were scheduled to meet at XFO 23 in Crystal Lake. Pat went on to dominate much of the first round with his grappling and ground and pound. He similarly dominated rounds two and three and won a unanimous decision from the judges.
Post-TapouT
Curran returned to the XFO for his third professional fight, where he defeated Amir Khillah by Decision (Split). His next two fights took place outside of the XFO banner, where he went 1-1 (the loss coming at the hands of future UFC competitor Darren Elkins), before returning to XFO to defeat Daniel Strauss by KO (Punches) in the second. After winning another with XFO, he lost again competing outside of the promotion, this time to Charles Diaz by Decision (Split).
Once again, returning to XFO, Curran next faced Luke Gwaltney, winning by TKO in the first. On October 10, 2009 he faced Jay Ellis in an XFO event, where he defeated his opponent in under a minute, submitting him with a Guillotine Choke.
Unfortunately he was defeated in his next fight with XFO, at the hands of Travis Perzynski, losing by Rear Naked Choke in the second.
Curran took part in a Trojan MMA event, where he defeated former Cage Rage Lightweight Champion Robbie Olivier on February 27, 2010 by a unanimous decision.
Bellator
Shortly after the win over Olivier, it was learned that Curran would be a participant in Bellator Fighting Champions second season's Lightweight tournament. His first round match-up was announced to be UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre's protege, Mike Ricci, and the fight took place at Bellator 14. A crowd favorite, the Chicago-area fighter remained patient through a few strategic minutes in which the fighters traded low kicks and jabs while finding their range. However, a little more than midway through the round, Curran connected on a powerful right hook that sent opponent Mike Ricci crashing to the mat where he stayed unconscious for a few uncomfortable minutes after a few follow up punches. The bout was called, and Curran won by KO (Punch) by 3:01 in the first.
His semi-final fight took place at Bellator 17, where he faced off against former UFC fighter Roger Huerta. Curran came into the fight as an underdog, and after a back-and-forth opening two rounds that saw both fighters look crisp in spots, the bout appeared to hang in the balance in the final frame. Both fighters responded to the demand of the moment, and the action stayed tight throughout. Both fighters earned takedowns, and both fighters worked striking effectively. At the close of the final frame, it was difficult to separate the two. The judges didn't find it challenging at all, and Curran was awarded the Decision (Unanimous) win, 29-28 on all three cards, advancing himself to the finals, where he met Toby Imada.
The bout took place at Bellator 21 on June 10, 2010. Curran started with a quick pace in the opening frame, but Imada quickly took control of the round with powerful knees and hard punches and appeared to snag the frame. The final two frames were much more difficult to call, and the action remained tight throughout. The third frame did see Curran clip Imada early with a shot that left him bleeding from a wounded right eye. Two of the three judges awarded the fight to Curran, much to Imada's dismay, giving Curran the win by Decision (Split) and crowning him winner of the 2010 Bellator Lightweight Tournament, earning a shot at Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez.
Unfortunately for Curran, he was forced out of his scheduled title fight with Eddie Alvarez due to undisclosed reasons. He was replaced by Roger Huerta, though the title was taken off the line, and the bout would be considered a Non-title "Super Fight."
Championships and Accomplishments
- 2010 Bellator Lightweight Tournament Winner (2010)
