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By: Brad Walker, MMATorch Columnist
For many MMA fighters it is often hard to say goodbye to active competition in the sport that they love, whether it be the financial gain they seek from it, or their sheer love for the art. Many careers have gone on too long, seeing their legends fall to ash, such as Fedor Emilianenko or Mirko CroCop, or in other cases seeing their health go to the lowest of lows, like Gary Goodridge. Then, between the extremes, there are the fighters who know when the time is right for their body, mind, family, and career to say goodbye.
Last week, after a split decision loss in a bantamweight title fight against Pedro Munhoz, one of the most traveled veterans of the sport, Jeff “Big Frog” Curran, decided it was time to say goodbye to the sport he has dedicated his life to. Well, technically he made the decision beforehand, but I will get into that later.
Jeff Curran has fought in virtually every major promotion that has come into light in the sport; Bellator, Pride, UFC, Strikeforce, WEC, IFL, KotC, WFA, RFA, and many more have hosted his fights during his storied career. He racked up a great record of 34 wins, including 20 finishes, against only 16 losses and 1 draw. He spent much of his time fighting the best of the best across four divisions, never losing a step over his 17 year career. Not many people can claim these accolades, on top of running their own gym - which itself puts out top performing fighters - and having had a hand in launching the largest promotion in their home state. Simply put, Jeff Curran has done much more than make his mark in the sport of mixed martial arts.
Although a win under the UFC banner may have eluded him in his career, it is but a lowly stat amongst a list of achievements that would make most men become ego fiends; but Jeff Curran is perhaps the most down to earth man in the sport. His legacy will always be looked at as one of incredible submissions and brutal bell to bell wars that saw him never crack nor give during the battle. In 51 career fights, he was only finished five times, a staggeringly low ratio for any MMA fighter, especially a man who started his career when the rules were significantly different. In fact, in the final five years of his career, Jeff was not finished once. The last man to do it was perennial title contender Urijah Faber in 2007. It may not be enough to say that Curran was unstoppable, but one thing is for sure, the Big Frog's will was certainly unbreakable.
Constantly battling through injuries the last couple of years took a toll on his body; numerous surgeries were required on his hands, causing him to miss numerous opportunities to fight. Now, the Big Frog has said goodbye to the sport he has given so much to, including his fighters, those like Pat Curran and Bart Palaszewski, and an infinite number of up and comers from his gym that are looking to make their mark just like their mentor.
Jeff was very successful in the cage, now he looks to help his fighters create their path to the top; it's a great fit for a man like Jeff who is a natural born teacher. Jeff has taught me more in the couple of years that I've known him than I would have ever expected, and he is truly one of the greats as a man and as a fighter. It is sad to see him step away from the sport, but if that's what is best for Jeff, then I say so long Big Frog, it was a pleasure to watch your amazing journey my friend!
Follow Jeff on Twitter @BigFrogBJJ
And me; @BradMMATorch
Thanks for reading!
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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