Fight to Win Pro has featured many current and former MMA fighters on their stage, but very few can boast the extensive career that Jeff Curran has. With nearly 20 years fighting MMA and no less than 87 MMA fights under his belt, Curran has certainly earned the respect he gets… and the opportunity to headline Friday's Fight To Win Pro 33 event with eleven-time IBJJF world champion Caio Terra.


Compared to Terra, Curran is relatively unknown in the jiu-jitsu scene. But to underestimate him on the mats would be a grave mistake -- he's a fourth-degree black belt under Pedro Sauer, and many of his wins in the various promotions he's fought for have been accomplished through submissions. 

Even though Curran is an accomplished and passionate grappler, he doesn't make it a secret that he feels most at home in the ring. "My first love for competing was jiu-jitsu; however, fighting was always the goal.  I wanted to be like Royce Gracie." 

I love jiu-jitsu more than any other art I have trained out of necessity for competing in MMA, but I love the feeling I get in a real fight over sport jiu-jitsu just a little more. They are different animals to me. It's like pizza and ice cream: both delicious and equally satisfying, but they fill different cravings.

Curran's decision to dedicate so much time and effort to jiu-jitsu proved to be a smart one. Not only did he finish numerous MMA fights with submissions, but all the attention he paid to his grappling also made him a more defensive fighter, which enabled him to stay safe and prolong his fighting career. "My master, Pedro Sauer, has always encouraged to learn, train, and appreciate the real fight dangers and how jiu-jitsu can offset even the most dangerous attack. So fighting a guy who just wants to punch me or kick me never felt dangerous to me," he says. He adds that back when he first stepped into the cage, his jiu-jitsu knowledge was usually greater than his opponents', but nowadays, more and more MMA fighters are beginning to recognize grappling as an invaluable tool in their fight game. "That playing field leveled out over the years, making it very hard to win by subs in a short period of time."


While Curran's hunger for battle hasn't gone away, he's begun to refocus most of his efforts on jiu-jitsu rather than MMA, which is a big part of the reason we'll be seeing him on Chicago's Fight to Win card. The numerous injuries he's sustained in nearly two decades of fighting MMA have taken their toll and made it harder for him to be the fighter he once was. "I was never willing to go down in flames just to have a highlight reel KO or worse, be someone else's," he says, adding that it "only makes sense" to return to jiu-jitsu now that his MMA career has slowed down as he approaches age 40. 

Even though he's turning away from taking fists and knees to the face, we shouldn't expect Curran to fade out of the competitive scene any time soon. "My focus is to take one match or tournament at a time and see how well I do.  I will be the old guy doing the Masters for sure, but how serious I take it will determine my result."


Jeff teaching at his gym. Photo: personal archive

For a man who loves a challenge, Curran could hardly ask for a better opponent than Caio Terra. A highly experienced sport BJJ competitor, there's no question that Terra will be a worthwhile adversary for Curran… and in fact, his familiarity with the competitive jiu-jitsu scene may prove to be Curran's biggest obstacle to overcome. "He has smooth transitions and is dangerous in and around all the positions. I believe I am sharp in all areas as well, but the challenge may be his comfort level to competing in jiu-jitsu events more regularly than myself," says Curran.

Still, given Curran's track record, that kind of a challenge may be exactly what he needs to come out on top. In nearly twenty years of training to fight, he's learned to strategize and make his opponents play HIS game. And on Friday, we'll see if Terra himself will fall prey to this experienced warrior's incessant drive to win. 

Watch Jeff Curran vs Caio Terra on Fight To Win Pro 33 LIVE or On Demand ONLY on FloGrappling!

How to Watch EVENT NAME HERE

On TV: Now available on Roku and Apple TV 4 -- download the FloSports app today.
STREAMING: Available only on FloGrappling via monthly or yearly memberships. A yearly FloPRO subscription provides access to ALL FloSports sites. SIGN UP HERE

Join The Conversation On Social

• Follow us on Twitter @FloGrappling
• Follow us on Instagram @FloGrappling
• Follow us on Facebook

FloGrappling's hottest content, delivered to your inbox

Don't miss breaking news, feature stories, event updates, and more. Sign up for the FloGrappling mailing list today.