Jeff Curran (Pictures) has experienced almost everything there is to experience in the sport of mixed martial arts during his 10-year tenure.
He has fought in every major promotion. He has donned the promoter's hat. He has run a successful gym and fight team. He has even fought in a tag-team MMA match.
For Curran, there is not much more he can do in the sport -- except win a major championship.
The 30 year old affectionately known as "Big Frog" will have his chance to rectify that one missing accomplishment on Wednesday when he challenges reigning WEC featherweight champion
Urijah Faber (Pictures) in Las Vegas.
Sure, Curran has held his share of belts, but to lay claim to the WEC title in his division would definitely be a career topper.
After toiling away in smaller promotions, Curran (28-8-1) finally made his big-show debut in early 2004. The only problem was the fight was at 155 pounds and against a much bigger opponent in current UFC welterweight champion
Matt Serra (Pictures).
The bout was part of a recurring theme: smaller guys forced to fight up in weight because there were no big North American promotions running the lighter weight divisions. After a spirited battle, Serra garnered the unanimous decision and Curran was on his way back to the small-show circuit.
Enter the WEC and the featherweight division in 2007.
"When it comes to the 145-pound division, finally, finally I get a chance to compete in the division I was meant to be in," says a relieved Curran. "Most of my fights I have lost have been to guys outside of my weight class. So it's awesome: I get to go out at 145 pounds and finally get my career started 10 years later."
While both men are consistently ranked among the top-10 featherweights in the world, it is Faber (19-1-0) that is generally regarded as the better fighter. Curran doesn't see it that way.
He points to the countless hours, days and years spent honing his skills and rounding out his repertoire, bringing the other disciplines up to par with his grappling base as the determining factor in this title fight. Then there's his mental toughness, which he sees as one of his strongest characteristics.
"I think the advantage comes to me over the fact that I have been in a lot of hard fights," says the native of Crystal Lake, Ill. "When things maybe aren't going my way for 20 minutes, I am still in it. I'm still in it to win because a fight's not over till the final bell rings."
It is that perseverance that has been a hallmark of Curran's career. Just fighting for the belt, with a chance to permanently etch his name in the record books has made everything worthwhile.
"Beating the odds and sticking at it, 10 years down the road I finally get a chance to do it, and it's huge to me," Curran says. "It really means a lot."
And with the added luster of the WEC featherweight championship -- recognized as the top of the food chain -- Curran has even more to be excited about.
"[The WEC title] finally holds that value," states Curran matter-of-factly. "For me to be able to go out there and win that, I mean, it's huge to me. That belt sitting on my mantle, it's going to be stared at by me and my son every day, and my team and everyone is going to know that those kind of things are within reach."
He wouldn't be a championship-level fighter if he weren't confident in his ability to beat the best the sport has to offer. But Curran, who also promotes the Midwest's XFO promotion, makes sure to explain why it is he is so sure he will win.
"Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces people into thinking they can't be beat," says Curran, quoting Bill Gates. "I've been beat. I know I can lose. … Something can go wrong. Something can not go my way, and I don't make the title -- I don't win. I know that and I think Faber thinks he is unbeatable, and that's what's going to get him beat.
"I'm a seasoned fighter. I'm not overconfident and I'm not cocky about being the best in the world. I'm out to prove I can be considered one of the best, but I know there is always someone better."
Come Wednesday, against
Urijah Faber (Pictures), Curran is determined to be that someone.
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