Jeff Curran in “Must Win” Mode for XFO Main Event

Crystal Lake, Illinois fighter Jeff Curran could hardly be busier at this point in his life. He is coming off his UFC debut, he’s flying to Japan to compete for the ZST organization where he is becoming a regular, he’s fighting in the main event on the debut card of his own promotion and he’s opening a new school.

Jeff fought Renzo Gracie protégé Matt “The Terror” Serra in a preliminary bout at UFC 46: Supernatural. Though most fans didn’t get to see it, popular opinion was that Curran did well in the decision loss and will likely be brought back again. “I didn’t get off well in that fight” states Curran. “I didn’t feel overwhelmed even though Matt is a big boy for this division.”

Many felt the weight was a big factor in the outcome as Jeff usually fights at the 145lbs but Curran himself felt something else was to blame. “I just got too comfortable playing defense. I really wasn’t afraid of being of being KO’d or submitted by him” states Curran. “(Norifumi) Yamamoto (at Superbrawl 29) had better takedowns and did a lot more damage in the fight. Not to take anything away from Matt, I’m just stating fact.

I really respect both those guys but Yamamoto is tougher than people give him credit for.” He continues “He’s not just strong and fast. He is a complete fighter and very dangerous at the 145lb weight division. My friend Bao Quach is supposed to fight him soon and I just hope he doesn’t underestimate him. My goal is to fight Yamamoto again some day. I know I can beat him.”

Curran is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Pedro Sauer so naturally the ground is his forte but he also like to use his Muay Thai background and hang on the feet. It took a while before “Big Frog” really opened up on “The Terror”. “I struck a lot in the third round. I probably could’ve been doing it all along. I also had a shot at a guillotine choke in the third.

It was a long shot but maybe” states Curran. And though his bout wasn’t shown on the PPV (you may remember that none of the prelims were), Jeff feels Zuffa and the UFC made him feel welcome. “The experience was great. I was treated real well. And being a first timer in a prelim can be tough but they made me feel like I belonged there. Before and after the bout” Curran remarked.

Jeff has just come back from Japan where he participated in a submission grappling tournament for the ZST (pronounced “zest”) organization. He won his first bout against seasoned Lithuanian judo and sambo player Evaldas Buenevicius at 1:23 of the 1st round. “It happened very quickly” Curran begins. “I didn’t feel like standing with him. We went to the ground, I got the triangle and it was over. He is very good at what he does. He’s like a 5-time European judo champion and has won medals in sambo”.

In the semi-final round of the tournament, Jeff faced slick sambo grappler Jiro Wakabayashi and lost a puzzling decision. “I was surprised. If it had been regular BJJ rules, it would’ve been like 15-2 my win. He had some leg locks but they were worthless. I didn’t really have to fight out of them. And I had catches (near submissions) and he didn’t.

I was so sure I won I had my hand up the whole time. The weird thing was it took them like 5 seconds total to announce him as the winner. Even some of the event organizers said ‘we thought you won easy decision’ so I’m like ‘what happened?’” states an understandably frustrated Curran. Will he go back to ZST now? “Oh yeah” he quickly replies. “I like that organization and they are always willing to bring me back”.

For now it is on to Dan Swift and the XFO. “I know he (Swift) is looking forward to the opportunity. He’s not a s**t talker, at least not with me. The way I look at it, with the way my career is going, I must win this fight” he tells me. “A win here is important to me and to this show” he continues. And how are sales going? “We’re doing pretty good. Tickets are selling well and I was featured in two local newspapers this week.

I’m also getting ready to open my new 15000 sq ft school on May 1st so everything is falling into place. You can get tickets to the show through the school at (815) 356-0454 or at the door but general admission is $5 more. You can also get some great room rates at the Abbey if you want to stay overnight and enjoy the after-fight party. The rooms are usually like $150 but if you mention the fights, you can get them for $75. A bunch of the fighters are staying there” states a proud promising promoter.

And then he hits me with it. “I need some help though” he asks. “I have this huge 60ft by 30ft wide and 17ft tall play land I need to get rid of”. He could probably hear my nonverbal “huh?” through the phone. “The guys who sold me this space left it here. It’s brand new. The thing is huge but it’s sitting in my new school” he tells me. Now how could you not laugh at that? “I have it up on Ebay” he continues. “It’s worth about $70,000 and I’m asking for $45,000 on the web but I’m taking offers”.

So what next after Saturday night? “I may be fighting in Superbrawl in April. It will likely be against one of Enson Inoue’s guys. I will likely be back in ZST as well” he replies. In a sport that is often as unpredictable as the weather here in Chicago, it’s just good to see the hometown guy doing well.