Coach: Slumping Kailin Curran should go to Invicta FC, but it's not that simple

Kailin Curran’s boxing coach, Jason Parillo, is standing firm by his fighter despite Curran being in the midst of the longest losing skid in women’s UFC history.

Curran (4-6 MMA, 1-6 UFC) suffered her fourth consecutive loss in UFC competition this past month when she dropped a unanimous decision to Yan Xiaonan at UFC Fight Night 122 in Shanghai. Curran joined the UFC roster in late 2014 when she was just 23 years old and had only three pro fights, and since then she’s struggled to keep her head above water.

Typically fighters with Curran’s experience level would receive more grooming outside the UFC or pick their matchups carefully once in the promotion. Curran, however, accepted fights with the likes of Xiaonan, Felice Herrig and Paige VanZant, and the results have shown she’s not prepared for that level of competition.

Parillo said it’s a challenging process to work through, but he hasn’t lost faith in his fighter because he knows what Curran is capable of.

“With Kailin I know the uphill battle she’s been battling,” Parillo told MMAjunkie. “I’ve been helping her out. They haven’t done Kailin Curran any favors. … She has been put in this position. It’s not been by my choice, but at the end of the day she’s learning on the job. If you ask me about Kailin Curran, she’s still green. I tell her all the time. It’s no offense to her. She’s learning on the job, unfortunately.

“We all learn on the job, but we learn in the amateurs, we learn in the low-level pros, and we learn on the job to get better. She’s learning on the highest platform that there is, and she’s learning against the best girls in her division. She’s green. I think she’s turned a corner. I think she turned a corner her last fight.”

What the future holds for Curran remains to be seen. Parillo said she’s still under UFC contract as of now, but with four losses in a row and one win in seven octagon appearances, it’s possible her deal could be terminated.

Although Parillo said part of him would like to see Curran move to an organization such as Invicta FC, where the competition would be more suitable, he said it’s not that simple. On average, the UFC still pays the highest wages to its fighters of any organization, and if it wants to keep Curran around, it’s hard to turn her back on the paydays in lieu of going elsewhere where she would receive less money.

Parillo also said Curran is hindered by the fact she doesn’t have a manager or any official representation. She makes her own career decisions when it comes to accepting fights, and for an upstart athlete looking to grow and win, Parillo said it only makes her position more challenging.

“I kind of wanted her to go to Invicta, but it’s kind of hard,” Parillo said. “She has a decent contract financially with the UFC. You’re going to take a huge pay cut, and if that’s the only way you’re making money it can become a difficult thing. I’m hoping that’s kind of the direction. I would like to see that happen. I would like to help her get control of her career a little bit.

“Kailin’s running around without a manager right now, and that’s like going to court without a lawyer. That’s kind of why she’s stuck in these positions where she’s fighting 7-0 girls and strong girls and bigger girls and girls that the promotion’s trying to develop, and she’s just out there being kind of a stepping stone.”

One thing Parillo does know about Curran, though, is that whatever happens next, she’s not going to quit. Curran’s positive attitude through adversity is a commendable character trait that Parillo said is going to get her through the other end of her disappointing slump.

“She’s definitely got heart, and she’s got all the skills in the world,” Parillo said. “Her mind hasn’t caught up yet, and that’s experience.”

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 122, check out the UFC Events section of the site.