Former Bellator featherweight champion Pat Curran, 22-7, aims for his third straight win when he locks horns with John Teixeira on October 6 at Bellator 184.

Ahead of his first fight of 2017, the 30-year-old from Crystal Lake, Illinois, took some time to answer the questions of Fighters Only contributor Tony Reid.

Question: If you could choose one fight from your career that every MMA fan should see, which fight would you pick and why?

Pat Curran: I’m really proud of my fight with Patricio ‘Pitbull’, but, if I had to tell someone to watch a fight, I would say my fight with Joe Warren. That was a key fight in my career and made me a Bellator champion. That fight meant a lot.

Q: If you could fight anyone in any weight class, who would you choose to fight and why?

PC: I have been a huge GSP (Georges St-Pierre) fan for some time now. Obviously we are at two different weight classes but it would be interesting to see myself against him in competition or even in training, to test myself.

Q: What has been the most memorable gym story you can share with us?

PC: One interesting story involves my cousin Jeff, who showed me one move, the Peruvian necktie, when I was just getting started in the sport, which I used in the featherweight tournament. When he showed me that move it really jumpstarted my game. That one submission led to another submission which led to another and really helped my ground game and turned it into something different.

Q: If you weren’t involved in MMA, what would you be doing for a living?

PC: Before I got into MMA I was going to school to be a firefighter and paramedic. I did get certified, so was almost there, but decided to switch gears and get involved in MMA.

Q: When did you decide to fully commit to being a mixed martial artist?

PC: I was living down in Florida, where I grew up and where I went to school. When I decided to pursue a career in MMA I packed up everything – well I didn’t have much, I was 20 years old – I moved away from home to Chicago and started a new life here and started to focus on training. It was a big change in my life. Moving from Florida to Chicago was a big change and it jump-started my career in the sport.

Q: Who are your favorite fighters to watch as a fan?

PC: I am a big fan of Frankie Edgar. I love his style and the way he mixes up his combinations from his hands to his takedowns. I am a big GSP fan. I like good strikers with good clean boxing and solid wrestling that look to push the pace.

Q: That sounds a lot like you…

PC: Yeah, I’m trying! I see what I like and I’m going to try to do exactly that.

Q: You started your career and run in Bellator as somewhat of an underdog, but then you worked your way to the top of the division with everyone gunning for you. So which do you prefer: being the underdog or being the king of the mountain?

PC: I always considered myself an underdog but then I was the champion. I like sitting at the top and letting everyone chase after me. It’s a great feeling.