Will Kailin Curran one crack medevac Paige VanZant on Sat?
Kailin Curran makes her delayed UFC debut vs. Paige VanZant on the undercard of UFC Fight Night 57 in Austin, TX, live on UFC Fight Pass.
UnderGround Guest Blog by Jesse Saxon of White Belt Survival
On Saturday November 22nd at UFC Fight Night 57 in Austin, TX, the undefeated Kailin Curran will finally get her opportunity to one crack medevac* Paige VanZant, live on UFC Fight Pass. The bout was initially scheduled to take place at UFC Fight Night 54 in Halifax, Nova Scota, but was rescheduled after VanZant suffered an injury to her spine. That forced VanZant to leave her long time gym – Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, CA – to return to her native Nevada where she had medical coverage.
Curran, an Ewa Beach native and Reign MMA fighter, will look to set the tone in her fight with VanZant, employing the aggressive fighting style that her fellow Hawaiians have become known for. Curran has a solid wrestling base and an even better kickboxing background. She will look to score offensive points while keeping at a defensive distance that allows her to set the pace of the fight. Look for her to work her jab and front kick to set up her combinations. Curran’s straight right that comes off her jab is legit, and could give VanZant major problems.
VanZant is Curran’s biggest test to date. 12 Gauge is known for being aggressive and for pushing the pace—something that Curran will need to check early, perhaps with that straight right. Coming from Team Alpha Male, VanZant’s has a developed wrestling game, especially from top. The only blemish on her professional record came from TUF 20 competitor, Tecia Torres, who was able to weather the storm and earn a decision victory.
Training with the likes of Mark Munoz, Jake Ellenberger, and Jessica Penne at Reign MMA has helped Curran in the ground department, and she will look to avoid VanZant’s top game. However, it is Raja Shippen’s kickboxing tutelage that Curran intends to showcase in the UFC, at last.
Main Card (FOX Sports 1, 10 p.m. ET)
Frankie Edgar vs. Cub Swanson
Edson Barboza vs. Bobby Green
Chico Camus vs. Brad Pickett
Oleksiy Oliynyk vs. Jared Rosholt
Joseph Benavidez vs. Dustin Ortiz
Isaac Vallie-Flagg vs. Matt Wiman
Prelim Card (FOX Sports 1, 8 p.m. ET)
Josh Copeland vs. Ruslan Magomedov
Luke Barnatt vs. Roger Narvaez
Nick Hein vs. James Vick
Akbarh Arreola vs. Yves Edwards
Prelim Card (UFC Fight Pass, 7 p.m. ET)
Kailin Curran vs. Paige VanZant
Dooho Choi vs. Juan Puig
False Crack • [fawls krak] • noun
The act of punching someone in the face. Used in Hawaii by the locals. A more severe version of the “False Crack” is the “False Crack Medivac” or “One Crack Medivac,” which is when someone is punched so hard, they need to go to the hospital.