Pat Curran (born August 31, 1987) is a retired American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

, and a former two-time Bellator Featherweight World Champion. He is the cousin of

World Extreme Cagefighting World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was mad ...

veteran

Jeff Curran Jeff Curran (born September 2, 1977) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1998 to 2016, Curran fought at a number of different weight classes for a large number of promotions including Bella ...

and fought primarily with Xtreme Fighting Organization (XFO) before signing with

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * ''Bellator'' (fish), a fish genus in the family Triglidae (sea robins) ** ...

, where he is the winner of Bellator Season Two Lightweight Tournament and the Bellator 2011 Summer Series. From July 2011 till April 2014 and January 2018 till July 2018, Curran was ranked in the top #10 Featherweights in the world by

Fight Matrix Fight Matrix is a mixed martial arts ranking system portal. It is one of the sport's most recognized ranking websites. Software According to website, "The rankings on this site are software generated, produced by a proprietary engine (CIRRS � ...

, rising to as high as #2 from July 2012 till April 2013.

Background

Curran went to Olympic Heights Community High School where he was a standout wrestler.

Mixed martial arts career

Curran spent much of his youth crafting his skills on the playground with boxing gloves. Curran was a Florida High School

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

stand-out who went on to study Brazilian jiu-jitsu with his cousin

at the young age of 17. It was during this summer of training that Curran decided to pursue mixed martial arts as a career. Curran made his debut in 2008, against Tony Hervey, a future King of the Cage Lightweight Champion. Curran won the bout. Curran had his second professional bout against Lazar Stojadinovic, who previously had a dominating performance over Curran's teammate

Ben Miller Bennet Evan Miller (born 24 February 1966) is an English comedian, actor and author. He rose to fame as a member of the comedy duo Armstrong and Miller, with Alexander Armstrong. He is known for roles as Angus Jeremy Bough in the '' Johnny Eng ...

. 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 the TV channel Versus. Curran trains under his cousin, former WEC Featherweight title challenger Jeff Curran at his gym in

Crystal Lake, Illinois Crystal Lake is a city in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. Named after a lake southwest of the city's downtown, Crystal Lake is northwest of Chicago. The population was 40,269 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Crystal L ...

. On the show, between training sessions, Pat got his first tattoo and he, Jeff and the crew did an autograph session at a Chicago clothing store. At the official weigh-in, Pat gets his first look at his opponent, Lazar Stojadinovic. Lazar has fought another of Jeff's students, 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

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

competitor Darren Elkins), before returning to XFO to defeat

Daniel Mason-Straus Daniel Mason-Straus (born July 27, 1984), is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Featherweight division. He previously competed in Bellator MMA, where he is the former two-time Bellator Featherweight Champi ...

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 A technical knockout (TKO) is a professional fighting term. TKO may also refer to: Sports * TKO, the name of a professional wrestling move referring to either the cutter or stunner variant * TKO Group Holdings, a combat sports company Music Ar ...

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 The guillotine choke, also known as Mae Hadaka Jime (前裸絞, "front naked choke"; compared to a rear naked choke) in judo, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from in front of the opponent, often on the ground but can also be done while stan ...

. He was defeated in his next fight with XFO, at the hands of Travis Perzynski, losing by

rear naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC), also known as hadaka jime (裸絞) in Judo and "lion killer choke (Mata Leão)" in BJJ, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word ''naked'' in this context suggests that, unlike other stra ...

in the second round. Curran took part in a Trojan MMA event, where he defeated former Cage Rage British Lightweight Championship contender Robbie Olivier on February 27, 2010 via unanimous decision.

Bellator MMA

It was announced that Curran would be a participant in the Bellator Season Two Lightweight Tournament. His first round match-up was announced to be

UFC Welterweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight class ...

Georges St-Pierre Georges St-Pierre (; born May 19, 1981), also known by his initials GSP, is a Canadian former professional mixed martial artist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) history. St-Pierre was a two-divi ...

's protégé, 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 knockout by 3:01 in the first round. His second bout took place at Bellator 17 against former UFC veteran

Roger Huerta Roger Huerta (born May 20, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting in the lightweight division. He initially gained exposure by competing in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bellator Fighting Ch ...

. Huerta was heavily favored going in to the fight, but Curran impressed over three rounds and went home with a unanimous decision, winning 29-28 on all three judges scorecards. With that victory, Curran moved on to face

Toby Imada Timoteo Tobias "Toby" Imada (born April 20, 1978) is a retired American mixed martial artist, grappler and kickboxer of Japanese and Mexican descent. A professional from 1998 until 2013, Imada competed for Bellator, King of the Cage, and the R ...

, who was also victorious that night, in the Season 2 Lightweight Tournament Final. At

Bellator 21 2010 in Bellator MMA was the second installment of the Bellator Fighting Championships (Bellator FC)-produced series. It started on April 8, 2010, and ended on June 24, 2010. Tournaments were held in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight ...

Curran defeated Imada via split decision in a close fight, becoming the Bellator Season Two Lightweight Tournament Champion. A match-up against Bellator Season One Champion Eddie Alvarez was anticipated for Season Three, but Curran was forced out of the contest due to a shoulder injury. Fighting in his place,

took on Alvarez in a non-title bout at Bellator 33 and lost via TKO due to a doctor stoppage. Curran's bout with Alvarez took place on April 2, 2011 at Bellator 39. He lost the fight via unanimous decision, with the judges scoring it 49-46, 50-45 and 50-45 in favor of Alvarez. Curran dropped to his original fight weight of 145 lbs to enter the Bellator 2011 Summer Series Featherweight Tournament. In his quarterfinal bout Curran submitted

Luis Palomino Luis Palomino (born October 9, 1980) is a Peruvian and American mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle fighter and is the current lightweight champion of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. He became the BKFC's first "double champ" after win ...

via Peruvian necktie in the first round. Curran faced Ronnie Mann in the Featherweight Tournament Semifinal at Bellator 47. He won the fight via unanimous decision, advancing him to the Bellator Featherweight Tournament Finals. Curran faced former Sengoku Featherweight Champion and Pancrase Featherweight Champion Marlon Sandro at Bellator 48 for the Bellator Featherweight Tournament Final. Curran defeated Sandro four minutes into the second round via a highlight reel head-kick KO, in the process becoming the first person to win Bellator tournaments in two different weight classes. Curran faced Joe Warren at Bellator 60. Curran defeated Warren by a brutal KO in round three to win the Bellator Featherweight Championship. In his first title defense, Curran faced

Patricio Freire Patricio in Spanish, or Patrício in Portuguese, is a male given name equivalent to Patrick in English. The Spanish name is pronounced with the stress on the same first i as Portuguese, but an accent is not needed because this follows normal ru ...

at Bellator 85 on January 17, 2013. He successfully defended his title for the first time, winning the fight via split decision. Curran was expected to defend his title against Bellator Season Six Featherweight Tournament winner, Daniel Mason-Straus, at Bellator 95. However, Straus broke his hand and was forced out of the bout. Straus was replaced by Bellator Season Seven Featherweight Tournament winner, Shahbulat Shamhalaev. Curran was successful in his second title defense, defeating Shamalaev via first-round submission. Curran put his Bellator Featherweight Championship on the line on November 2, 2013 at

Bellator 106 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight ch ...

in a rematch against Daniel Mason-Straus. He was unsuccessful with his third title defense, losing the fight by unanimous decision. Curran fought current champ Daniel Mason-Straus for the third time at Bellator 112 in March. An instant rematch drew criticism for Bellator from MMA pundits and fans, as many felt that Curran, who had previously lost his last match to Straus and not won a tournament for a rematch, had not done enough to earn a title shot over waiting tournament winners

and

Magomedrasul Khasbulaev Magomedrasul Magomedalievich Khasbulaev (; born October 23, 1986) is a Russian former mixed martial artist who fought in the Featherweight division. In a career spanning 12 years, Khasbulaev fought in Bellator MMA, where he won the Bell ...

. He won the bout via rear-naked choke submission in the fifth round thus, ending their trilogy and winning the Bellator Featherweight Championship for the second time. Curran was scheduled to make the first defense of his new title in a rematch with

on June 6, 2014 at Bellator 121. However, on May 21, it was announced that Curran had pulled out of the bout due to a calf injury. The rematch eventually took place at Bellator 123 on September 5, 2014. Curran lost the bout to Freire by unanimous decision. Curran faced

Daniel Weichel Daniel Weichel (born November 22, 1984) is a German former professional mixed martial artist who last competed in the Featherweight division for Bellator MMA. He has also competed in M-1 Global and Shooto. Background Born and raised in Germany, ...

on February 13, 2015 at Bellator 133. He lost the fight via split decision. Curran was expected to face Goiti Yamauchi at Bellator 139 on June 26, 2015. However, Yamauchi pulled out of the fight due to injury. Curran instead faced Emmanuel Sanchez at the event. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Curran was expected to face Justin Lawrence at Bellator 145 on November 6, 2015. Curran pulled out of the bout due to a knee injury. Curran faced Georgi Karakhanyan at Bellator 155 on May 20, 2016. In the first round, Curran knocked down his opponent with a left hand. Karakhanyan managed to recover and fight on, but in the end Curran won via unanimous decision. Curran was expected to face

John Teixeira John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

at Bellator 167 on December 3, 2016, however, Curran pulled out of the bout due to an injury and was replaced by Justin Lawrence. The bout with Teixeira was rescheduled for Bellator 184 on October 6, 2017. Curran won the fight by unanimous decision. After a year and a half long layoff, Curran returned to face rising Featherweight prospect A.J. McKee at Bellator 221 on May 11, 2019. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. In the heels of the defeat, Curran signed a contract extension with Bellator. In the first round of the tournament, Curran got

Ádám Borics Ádám Borics (born July 7, 1993) is a Hungarian Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight division of the Professional Fighters League. He previously competed for Bellator MMA. Early life ...

as his opponent. The fight was held on 7 September 2019 on Bellator 226. At the end of round 2, a flying knee made an impact again and sent Curran to the floor. At the end of a huge amount of punches on the ground, the referee stopped the fight in the last second of the 2nd round. Curran announced on October 27, 2020 that he was retiring from MMA.

Championships and awards

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

** Bellator Featherweight World Championship (Two times) **Two successful title defenses ** Bellator Season Two Lightweight Tournament Winner ** Bellator 2011 Summer Series Featherweight Tournament Winner **First Fighter to win tournaments in multiple weight classes **Two successful title defenses *Inside Fights **Knockout of the Year (2012) *

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

**2011 All-Violence Second Team *MMAJunkie.com **2014 March Submission of the Month vs. Daniel Mason-Straus

Mixed martial arts record

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John Macapá John Teixeira da Conceição (; born November 18, 1986), commonly known as John Macapá, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight (MMA), featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, Teixeira h ...

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Patrício Pitbull Patrício Andre de Sousa Freire (born July 7, 1987), known professionally as Patrício Pitbull, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Champi ...

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, Decision (split) , Bellator 85 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4 , Ronnie Mann , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 47 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, Submission (Peruvian necktie) , Bellator 46 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:49 ,

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, United Kingdom , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–3 , Travis Perzynski , Submission (rear-naked choke) , XFO 34: Curran vs. Hori , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:38 , Lakemoor, Illinois, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Jay Ellis , Submission (guillotine choke) , XFO 32 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:58 , New Munster, Wisconsin, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 , Lucas Gwaltney , TKO (punches) , XFO 31: Outdoor War 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:32 , Island Lake, Illinois, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–2 , Charles Diaz , Decision (split) , Elite Fighting Challenge 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Mike Pickett , Submission (rear-naked choke) , XFO 30 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:56 , New Munster, Wisconsin, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Daniel Straus , KO (punches) , XFO 29 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:31 , Lakemoor, Illinois, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Ramiro Hernandez , Decision (unanimous) , Adrenaline MMA 2: Miletich vs. Denny , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 , Darren Elkins , Decision (unanimous) , C3: Domination , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Jay Ellis , Submission (rear-naked choke) , XFO 25 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:51 , Island Lake, Illinois, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Amir Khillah , Decision (unanimous) , XFO 25: Outdoor War 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Island Lake, Illinois, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Lazar Stojadinovic , Decision (unanimous) , XFO 23: Title Night , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Lakemoor, Illinois, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Tony Hervey , Submission (rear-naked choke) , XFO 22: Rising Star , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:24 ,

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References

External links

*
Bellator Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curran, Pat 1987 births Living people Featherweight mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling American male mixed martial artists Bellator MMA champions