ISLAND LAKE, Ill. --
Jeff Curran said Friday of his younger cousin, Pat, “If he gets a hold of him, he’s gonna maul him.”
Taking over in the main event for the injured
Bart Palaszewski,
Pat Curran made short work of journeyman Lucas Gwaltney, landing the first blow and following it up with a takedown. From there, he worked from Gwaltney’s guard to side control and began landing blows. After being kicked off, he again jumped into the guard and landed a series of lightning-quick punches, opening a deep gash above Gwaltney’s left eye. The referee called time at 1:32 and the doctor called a stop to the fight.
“His grappling game from wrestling to jiu-jitsu is just so hard to deal with … it’s just a solid game,”
Jeff Curran said of his cousin, 7-1, who now has four wins in a row and is 6-0 in XFO competition.
Rich Lictawa, substituting for the injured
Jeremy Horn, took on “The Ultimate Fighter 7” alum and crowd favorite
Mike Marrello. About 2:45 into the second round, Marrello scored a takedown and worked from Lictawa’s half guard to side control. While Marrello landed a few punches from the top, Lictawa motioned to the referee with an open palm, signaling he wanted it stood up. The referee agreed and stood the two up, much to the dislike of the crowd and Marrello’s corner.
“He got the takedown and I’m better with my hands standing up, and he wasn’t really doing a whole lot, just laying there,” Lictawa said. “I figured I’d take the chance to try to get him to stand up. I got the standup and it worked out for me.”
After exchanges, Lictawa was able to land a good combination followed by a takedown and an immediate mount. Marrello was unable to effectively shake him off, taking a series of punches and losing by TKO. Lictawa improved his professional record to 2-0. Marrello’s dropped to 11-3-1, with his corner was seeking an explanation from the referee to no avail.
In other highlights of the night,
Bill Hill and
Ryan Sturdy fought after a preceding war of words. The vast majority of the fight was spent in the clinch. After a fairly even first round, Sturdy began taking control of the clinch war and landed vicious elbows to the back of the ribs and knees to the body. By the third round, Sturdy had seized complete control of the fight, earning the victory by unanimous decision.
XFO Lightweight Champion
Jon Murphy took on
Mike Corey in a non-title fight. The bout proved to be the most entertaining of the night as both fighters scored takedowns in each round while still supplying excellent exchanges in the standup. The judges scored the bout 29-28, 28-29 and 30-27, giving Corey the split decision.
Pat Curran def. Lucas Gwaltney -- TKO (Doctor Stoppage - Cut) 1:32 R1
Mike Corey def.
Jon Murphy -- Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Ryan Sturdy def.
Bill Hill -- Unanimous Decision
Tony Marti def. Danny Rodriquez -- Submission (Guillotine) 0:29 R1
Rich Lictawa def.
Mike Marrello -- TKO (Strikes) 4:19 R2
Dave Terrel def.
Brent Mehrhoff -- TKO (Strikes) 3:47 R1
Igor Almeida def.
Jason Bowling -- Submission (Armbar) 1:30 R1
Pete Grimes def.
Dwayne Shelton -- Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 3:50 R1
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