Totally enthralled with this match up. I think Pat Curran has some of the most under-rated and amazing standing defense in the sport.
Excerpts follow. If you like the article, a click would be appreciated. http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/8/20/2368551/bellator-48-fight-card-pat-curran-vs-marlon-sandro-dissection
Many thanks to UG'er caposa for handling so many gifs for me.
Bellator 48 Fight Card: Pat Curran vs. Marlon Sandro Dissection 
by Dallas Winston on Aug 20, 2011 1:46 PM EDT in Bellator Event
The most notable new addition to Curran's arsenal is his jumping knee.
The glitzy maneuver is an odd contrast to Curran's prudent and unpronounced stand up. With impeccable reactions and timing, Curran generally prefers to snap off airtight and on-balance boxing combinations, so launching forward with the flying knee comes as a surprise attack.
While normally a risky technique, Curran employs the flying knee sparingly and doesn't leave himself exposed to counter strikes or takedowns in the process.
As shown above versus Ronnie Mann, he stays compact and balanced, unleashing the knee in a short, controlled burst.
The sequence to the right is a medley of Curran's flying knees versus Mann.
The first and second are sprung instantly and with absolutely no set up. Note how, in the second flying knee, Curran adds a straight right hand when Mann anticipates the advance, and he keeps his hands high to protect himself in both.
The third example is the charging double-knee, which he assailed Palomino with after stunning him with a punch.
To conclude the second and third attempts, Curran drops levels for a double leg. This has been another tool to continually push his opponents backward and keep him in control of the pace.
In the past Curran was cautious and surrounded himself with a force-field of stiff counter punches, but he's upped his offense since moving to 145 and is now leading exchanges with more enthusiasm.
Being more assertive on the feet is the perfect complement to Curran's stand up game, because he has some of the most amazing defensive abilities in the sport.
His ability to stave off takedowns and dodge or block strikes was subtly apparent in his upsets over Huerta and Imada, but became glaringly obvious against Eddie Alvarez's high octane attacks.
As usual, Eddie unloaded everything in the cannon, but due to Curran's freakish defensive skills, eventually had to settle in to a strategic back and forth duel when he couldn't run him over with strikes and takedowns.
As shown in the animation above -- with Curran, nothing is superfluous, excessive, or wasted; he's one of the most efficient and judicious strikers in the featherweight class.
He controls distance with a long, clean double jab, and when both get through, he cracks a tight right hand. The accuracy and consistency of his punches disrupt his opponent's rhythm and never let them get settled.
To the right we see the subtleties of Curran's bewildering defensive skills. Watch Mann time his counter to Curran's lead jab well, but still, Curran muffles all three strikes with textbook blocking and shelling while skipping back out of range.
In the next exchange, Curran's technique is nearly flawless: his elbows are tight, his chin is tucked, he has his balance, and he delivers a beautiful one-two while deflecting Mann's counter.
Here we see more fundamentally intact boxing from Curran.
Check out the lightning fast counter-combination led by the heavy right hand to back Mann up in one of the few instances where he gets off first.
To regain control of the momentum, Curran advances and feints with a body blow, forcing Mann to backpedal further and reset. Then Curran lances another long jab and left hook before displaying exemplary defense once again when Mann returns fire.
This is a great example of how he's relentless in peppering with a variety of blows, keeping foes on the end of his punches, controlling the distance and (somehow) having the innate ability to deflect strikes wholly even when he's in the middle of his own combo.
Our final sequence for Curran shows the diversity of his offense. He flashes the left hook before planting a nice front kick to Mann's midsection and following up with a cracking low kick.
Keep in mind that Ronnie Mann has been training in Muay Thai since he was a kid and has an excellent striking game. Curran just endlessly jolts him with a wide range of boxing combinations and kicks and never stops coming forward.
