Jeff Curran is making the big jump back into the UFC as after leaving the WEC after a loss to Takeya Mizugaki and being on a 7 year hiatus from a Zuffa based organization will make his UFC re-debut against former title challenger Scott Jorgensen in a bantamweight bout at UFC 137 in Las Vegas. He last competed in the organization in January of 2004, when he took a fight with future UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra on nine days’ notice as a late replacement, losing a decision in the process. Since that time, Curran has hopped all over the globe, fighting in promotions such as Pride, King of the Cage, the WEC, the XFO, and Strikeforce. We had a chance to catch up with the “Big Frog” and talk to him about his new deal.
FH: So your back in the UFC after a long time away, what does it mean for you to be back?
JC: This means the world to me. It is a testament to myself more than anyone else of what I am made of. I wasn’t brought in to be filler for the next big thing, or as a publicity stunt. I earned it. I literally fought my way back to UFC. Through physical, emotional, mental, and financial battles. Here I am, and I am here to stay.
FH: You have had quite a journey since your last bout in the UFC?
JC: Since the Matt Serra fight, I have had the awesome experience of competing all over the world. From Canada to Japan to the States, shows like King of the Cage, the XFO, the IFL, Japan’s ZST, and many others paved my way to the WEC. Since being released from the WEC a couple of years ago, I have had fights with promotions such as Strikeforce, Bellator, and the XFO. This journey has been one of the most mentally-demanding experiences of my life, and physical, all at the same time. It almost got the best of me, and I even considered retirement at times, which lasted about five minutes at the most (laughs).
FH: You had quiet a winning streak before entering the WEC and then you loss to Faber, it seems after that you hit a slump?
JC: After beating Stephen Ledbetter, I had won fifteen of sixteen fights, so I think facing top guys like that all in a row was a detriment to my career because I was the best. It didn’t get much better than what I had accomplished at that point. The loss to Urijah was most painful. I had that fight won, but a bad grip at one point, or bad movement, more or less put me in a losing position, forcing me to make a desperate move to save the round. This is where the rest of my career went downhill.
But I’d like for people to understand that losing at the very top levels doesn’t cut it for me. ‘Almost,’ as I was taught years ago, doesn’t count. It’s not a game of horseshoes. But rather than come up for air and rethink our strategy, I went off the handle and insisted on fighting more top-level contenders rather than gain my momentum once again.
FH: Switching up gears, you opening your own MMA school and started teaching, tell me about that?
JC: I love teaching, as long as I don’t feel my knowledge is being chewed up and [spit] out. If it’s being absorbed and taken in, and used for the long term, I love it. I just hate teaching those who don’t take learning serious, be it fighters or students. Guys like Bart, Pat etc…they take it all in, and always have. They are my inspiration still.
FH: People often say you have a seriousness to you, would you agree?
JC: People close to me get the ‘person’ that I really am. In the gym and in training, I am focused. In the ring, the cage, I have a job to do. But I love being with my family, having fun, and enjoying life. I just don’t get enough time to do that which is where my ‘serious’ attitude comes off (laughs).
