Since making his WEC debut in August, 2007, a successful one, a Unanimous Decision victory over Stephen Ledbetter, it’s been a tough and bumpy ride through the promotion for Jeff “Big Frog” Curran. The highly regarded veteran went on to face two of the world’s very best at 145lbs. in Urijah Faber and Mike Brown, and then, after Curran made the decision to drop down to bantamweight, rising prospect Joseph Benavidez was there to greet the former Pride competitor.
Although the three fight losing streak has likely been a tough pill to swallow for Curran, especially for a fighter who lost just twice from 2004 through almost all of 2007, the accomplished veteran arrived in the WEC looking to fight the world’s best. Up next, Curran will once again take on one of the promotion’s toughest in Takeya Mizugaki, the man who pushed WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres to his limits back in April.
“My initial reaction was I was just glad to get a shot,” Curran told FCF, when asked about how the August 9th bout came together. “I know I’ve had really good fights and I’m fighting the top guys but I’m still coming off three losses. I was a little shocked that they were giving me such a high level fight but at the same time, after talking about it with them, I’m on a higher pay scale; I’m one of the higher level guys in the organization so they need to use me for high level fights. I’m excited.”
“He proved himself with Torres you know?” Curran added while commenting on Mizugaki. “Some people thought that was his fight. The earlier part of the fight was his. Torres won the later part of the fight; somewhere in the middle the pace changed, but a lot of people think he won that fight.”
Mizugaki, who made is WEC debut as a replacement for the injured Brian Bowles, had won 5 straight fights competing in Japan, before surprising many around the MMA world with his memorable performance against Torres.
“I had heard about him but I didn’t know much about him,” Curran conceded when asked about whether or not he was surprised by Mizugaki that night. “Once I saw that he was fighting Torres I started researching it. Once I started researching it I realized I had heard his name before.”
“I honestly think he’s well balanced, he matches up well with me all around,” Curran said while assessing the Japanese bantamweight’s abilities. “He’s really composed. He’s not a wild guy, and he’s going to box with me if I want to box with him, which I think plays a little bit into my favor, especially if I can get into that groove where I’m boxing with him. I definitely think I have the advantage on the ground, so my biggest intention is to try to get a hold of him and try to school him in that department.”
When Curran announced that he was dropping down to 135, immediately discussions pertaining to a possible bout between him and the champion Torres, (who also lives and trains in the Chicago area) began circulating around the internet.
“I was always focused on Benavidez when the talk about Torres started,” said Curran, who now holds a professional record of 29-11-1. “When the talk about Miguel started the only reason that I really brought it up and played into it was because the fight was taking place on the local level. I felt like it brought that into it, so I’m not looking past Mizugaki, just like I didn’t look past Benavidez, but I definitely want to fight Torres. I’d like to fight him whether or not he’s champion. I just want to get a shot at him, and quite honestly, I’d like to get another shot at Urijah Faber. If I can get a on a winning streak I’d like to fight him at 135 or 145 it doesn’t matter. I definitely would like another shot at him.”
