Scott Jorgensen (12-4) vs. Jeff Curran (33-13-1)
In bantamweight action, the former WEC title challenger Jorgensen meets the returning pioneer Curran.
Jorgensen, 29, a member of Combat Fitness, scored a thunderous first-round knockout win over Ken Stone in June. During his WEC run, the Utah native has defeated Brad Pickett, Antonio Banuelos, Chad George, Takeya Mizugaki, Noah Thomas and Kenji Osawa.
In December 2010, Jorgensen went five rounds with the UFC bantamweight king Dominick Cruz, but he ultimately lost a decision.
Curran, 34, is one of the originators of the lighter weight divisions in mixed martial arts. A well-travelled warrior with experience in UFC, Pride, Strikeforce, WEC, IFL and King of the Cage circuits, Curran has seen and done it all with the exception of capturing a major world title.
Since his debut in 1998, Curran has rattled off wins over Bao Quach, Jason Dent, David Douglas, Antonio Carvalho, Charles Bennett, Wagnney Fabiano, Raphael Assuncao, Donny Walker and Tomohiko Hori.
Curran was released from the WEC in 2009 after a four-fight losing skid, which saw him drop fights to Urijah Faber, Mike Brown, Joseph Benavidez and Takeya Mizugaki.
The Team Curran founder, a 2nd-degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Pedro Sauer, knows that this could very well be his last stand in a major organization.
Curran is a versatile fighter with vastly improved hands, but Jorgensen's wrestling-based style and constant pressure should be the deciding factor on fight night. Unless Curran can surprise the former NCAA Division I wrestler with a quick submission, he could wind up spending the better part of 15 minutes on his back.
Verdict: Jorgensen via decision
