UFC 137 Results: Jeff Curran Will Rebound from Loss to Scott Jorgensen

A loss to Scott Jorgensen at UFC 137 will certainly sting for Jeff Curran, but it hardly knocks him from contention in the Bantamweight Division.

If anything, "Big Frog" Curran proved that he can hang with the big boys of mixed martial arts. "Young Guns" is a fantastic fighter who, like Curran, has competed at the highest levels of the sport, albeit on somewhat lesser circuits. Both previously competed for World Extreme Cagefighting before the league was absorbed into the UFC.

Curran had seen his fair share of top-quality competitors while with WEC, including Urijah Faber and Takeya Mizugaki, though victory at that level had long eluded him.

The same could very well have been said for Jorgensen, who fought Dominick Cruz for the WEC and UFC Bantamweight Championships before the two made the jump into the upper echelon of MMA.

Suffering defeat to Jorgensen, then, is nothing for Curran to be ashamed of. He performed remarkably well against a superior opponent, showing tremendous technical skill throughout. Curran spent a significant portion of the fight on his back, but at no time did he appear to be in imminent danger. Instead, he maintained his balance and composure, weathering Jorgensen's storms while landing several blows of his own.

Curran came out as the aggressor, flinging fists and feet at Jorgensen but to little avail. Jorgensen subsequently took Curran to the ground, at which point the two engaged in a highly-technical bit of grappling. The two got back up at the 0:35 mark before Jorgensen scored another takedown, maintaining his position on top throughout.

The second round played out much like the first, with Jorgensen employing a more measured approach while Curran attempted to clock his opponent with some potentially devastating haymakers. Jorgensen took firm control of the fight by way of a headlock, which he used to push Curran against the cage.

Curran attempted to throw a knee at Jorgensen but just ended up on the mat again, though he eventually found his way on top of Jorgensen for the first time in the match. Jorgensen took advantage of even that situation, though, and nearly threw Curran clear off of him, though not before Curran fit in some solid blows.

Tired from two exhausting rounds on the ground, Curran and Jorgensen spent most of the third round on their feet, putting their standup game to good use. Things took a turn for the worse for Curran, though, when he injured his left hand on a landed strike. Curran fought bravely, though somewhat cautiously, amidst the pain, which proved to be a hindrance to his success.

Jorgensen took advantage and got Curran to start bleeding from his nose, after which point he pressed Curran against the fence and took him to the mat one last time before the final bell rang.

So while Curran attempted to be the aggressor at the outset of each round, it was Jorgensen who came out on top each time, seemingly using his opponent's forward position to his own advantage.

But Curran's defeat here was by no means a matter of poor performance on his part. The fight was close from start to finish, which serves more as a testament to Curran's ability to hang tough than to any particular dominance on Jorgensen's part.

Jorgensen will likely go on to challenge Cruz for the bantamweight title once again, though Curran, if he improves his transitioning from defense to offense in bouts to come, won't be too far behind.