It wasn’t that long ago that Pat Curran was considered among the best 145-pound fighters in all of MMA. A 19-4 record, combined with Bellator gold around his waist, had a good amount of fans wondering if “Paddy Mike” could hang with the big dogs of the UFC. But now, MMA fans have to be wondering if he can even survive among the sport’s second tier of competition.
It certainly didn’t seem like it by the conclusion of Bellator 133, where the former champion dropped his second consecutive fight. On paper, his opponent, Daniel Weichel, represented a guy who Curran could defeat and use to catapult himself back into title contention. A win over the Bellator Season-10 Featherweight Tournament winner would’ve certainly been a nice stat on Curran’s resume. But it was not to be. Weichel was able to take home a split decision win over the former champ.