Jaydene Kailin Asoa Curran is a mixed martial artist from the United States who is currently connected with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Due to her diminutive size, she competes in the strawweight division. Curran began practicing kickboxing and wrestling in high school, at a time when female combatants in mixed martial arts were uncommon. Instead of seeking inspiration, she chose to follow the rich heritage of her home state, Hawaii, in competitive fighting. She began her professional career with the Guam-based promotion Pacific Xtreme Combat (PXC). In March of 2013, she made her cage debut against Kaiyana Rain and won by unanimous decision. She had a smooth transition to the UFC after winning her next two contests. However, her performance in the world’s largest mixed martial arts competition has been far from flawless. Not only did she lose her first match inside the renowned UFC Octagon against Paige VanZant, but she also lost her final four matches. As she is ambitious, determined, and diligent, it is just a matter of time before she turns her situation around.
Kailin Curran’s Career
Throughout high school, Kailin Curran had trained in wrestling and kickboxing. On March 6, 2010, she made her debut as an amateur fighter in Destiny MMA against Lisa Ha, winning by submission in the second round. On June 16, 2012, she was submitted in the first round by J.J. Aldrich in her final bout as an amateur, giving her a record of four victories, one defeat, and one no contest.
PCX was the first firm to give her a contract, and she began her professional career with them. On March 8, 2013, in her professional debut, she battled Kaiyana Rain of California. She dominated Rain throughout the whole bout, pulling her up from the cage floor and slamming her back down at one point. Even though Rain survived all three rounds, the judges unanimously determined that Curran was the victor.
Her second match, which took place on August 9, 2013, was against the Japanese Emi Tomimatsu and she won again. In her final match for the promotion, she faced Yoo Jin Jung of South Korea. On February 28, 2013, she exhibited outstanding performance, registering yet another victory before UFC recruited her.
Curran made her UFC debut against Paige VanZant on November 22, 2014, in Austin, Texas. It was a grueling, back-and-forth contest, but VanZant won via technical knockout in the third round. Curran and VanZant’s performances earned them the Fight of the Night award. She was also defeated in her subsequent match. Alex Chambers, of Australian descent, defeated Curran via armbar on May 10, 2015.
Typically, fighters must spend years in the independent circuit prior to receiving a call from the UFC. It occurred quite quickly for Curran. She has only participated in three professional bouts before to obtaining a contract with the largest promotion in mixed martial arts (MMA).
Her consecutive losses to VanZant and Chambers had a profound emotional impact. On December 10, 2015, she fought Emily Kagan in the Octagon and won with an inventive rear-naked choke in the second round after displaying an aggressive yet measured performance.
However, her fortune changed once more, this time for the worse. She has lost four consecutive bouts. She was defeated by Felice Herrig on July 23, 2016, by Jamie Moyle on December 3, 2016, and by Aleksandra Albu of Russia on July 29, 2017.
In her most recent match, she was defeated by a unanimous decision by the Chinese rookie Yan Xiaonan. Curran has the dubious “honor” of being one of the few remaining UFC fighters with a losing record.
Curran’s Personal Life
Kailin Curran was born in Hawaii, United States of America, on April 11, 1991, to parents Denny Sebala Sr. and Robin Curran Sebala. She attended Ewa Beach’s James Campbell High School. Growing up in the late 1990s and early 2000s, she had no female mixed martial arts role model to look up to.
Nonetheless, some male Hawaiian fighters had already established themselves in the sport. Relson Gracie, the son of MMA and Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Helio Gracie moved to Oahu in 1988 and opened a world-class gym and training facility, paving the way for champions such as Enson Inoue, BJ Penn, Travis Browne, and Max Holloway, who have collectively dominated MMA over the past two decades. Curran sought and found inspiration from this sport’s giants.
In 2011, Curran began dating professional surfer and fellow Hawaiian Keanu Using. On August 13, 2017, after six years of dating, the couple wed in San Clemente, California.
Estimated Net Worth
Kailin Curran is one of the wealthiest MMA fighters and one of the most popular. According to our research, Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider, Kailin Curran has an estimated net worth of $1.5 million.
Trivia
Curran is descended from Samoans, Hawaiians, Irish, and Germans.