PAT CURRAN VS. TOBY IMADA
June 8th, 2010 | Published in FIGHTER NEWS
On June 10th Pat Curran will face submission wizard Toby Imada in the Bellator lightweight tournament finale. Cousin to MMA superstar Jeff Curran, Pat looks to cement his own legacy by winning the Bellator lightweight tourney.
Fighting above his normal weight class of 145lbs and entering a very stacked 155lb tournament, Pat was not expected to make it out of the first round. Heavily favored Mike Ricci entered the cage following a long video montage about his accolades as GSP’s training partner and hyped as “the next big thing at 155lbs”, while Pat modestly stepped into cage the without so much more than some last minute entrance music. “Pat is a composed kid and does not buy into the hype” said cousin and mentor Jeff Curran, “He does not get nervous to fight and he is ready to give a 100% everytime”. Pat shocked the MMA world with a crushing KO over Ricci that has now made it’s way into the regular rotation of the Bellator highlight real.
Advancing to the semi final round Pat would draw one of the greatest 155lb fighters in the world in Roger Huerta. “This is the fight I wanted next”, said Pat, “I felt very confident with the win over Ricci and just felt that my style would match well and cause problems for Huerta”. The fight with Huerta was a close fight but Pat was able to win a unanimous decision by controlling the pace and landing the more damaging shots. “When Pat landed that head kick early in the first round we saw Roger’s entire demeanor change, it was like he realized that this was going to be a fight” said striking coach Doug Mango.
Now one win away from winning the tournament and what has to be one of the best “Cinderella” stories in the sport since Amir Sadollah tore through the TUF house in season 7, Pat has his eyes set on Imada. “I feel ready for this fight”, Curran said, “Mackens Semerzier, Junior Assuncao, Bart Palaszewski and of course my cousin Jeff all were a part of this camp and I couldn’t be more prepared for this fight”.
photo courtesy of Combat Lifestyle and FIGHT!
