NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Bellator featherweight champion Pat Curran.

His next fight will be a highly-anticipated title defense against top contender Patrício "Pitbull" Freire in the main event of the Bellator 123 card. It will take place Friday, September 5, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on the territory of the sovereign nation of the Mohegan Tribe. This fight, along with three other main card fights, will be televised live in the U.S. on Spike TV.

We spoke with Pat Curran July 30 at a Bellator media day at Dave and Buster's in New York.

This fight will be a rematch from their first battle, which took place at Bellator 85 on January 13, 2013, in Irvine, California. Curran won that fight by a split decision, successfully defending his featherweight belt.

"It should have been unanimous, in my opinion," he said, "but this time I want to make sure to not leave it in the judges' scorecards. And I want to go out there and make a point, prove to him that I'm a much better fighter, and take him out as quick as possible."

Noting that both he and Pitbull are known primarily as strikers, although both have strong grappling backgrounds, he said that in this fight, "I want to keep it standing." He also expects to "outwork" his opponent and for the fight to go to the later rounds.

We also discussed the many judging controversies in MMA; his training for this fight with Team Takedown in Arlington, Texas; his experience coming up through the Bellator tournament system and rising from being a little-known fighter to a champion; what he expects from new Bellator president Scott Coker; why he would not want to fight in any more tournaments; and more.

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Labels: Bellator, Eddie Goldman, MMA, No Holds Barred, Pat Curran, Pitbull