Professional mixed martial arts “superfights” with athletes from around the country return to McHenry County on Saturday in McHenry after a successful debut in Crystal Lake last year.

Jeff Curran, retired mixed martial arts fighter, coach and owner of Crystal Lake-based Curran Jiu-Jitsu Academy, returns after hosting the soldout Jeff Curran Invitational show in September at the MAC Sports Center in Crystal Lake. This time, the 25 superfight matches, titled “JCI 2: The Ascension,” will be Saturday at The Vixen, located at 1208 N. Green St., McHenry.

Jiu-jitsu is a form of mixed martial arts, or MMA. Curran’s events focus on what’s known as a “no-gi, submission-only, grappling style” of fighting that emphasizes technical expertise with no punching or striking, Curran said.

The event will feature 50 athletes, including 16 women, with the main event featuring Michael Mutter of Team Curran and Jeff Serafin of Serafin Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu of Evanston.

“The Jeff Curran Invitational gives athletes an opportunity to showcase themselves on an elevated stage – not just physically elevated, but elevated in every sense,” Curran said in a news release.

Local fighters are on the card, as well as competitors from Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Kentucky and North Dakota.

Dan Hart, a local restaurateur and owner of Hart Jiu Jitsu in Woodstock, will compete against Justin Andrews of Grand Rapids, Michigan, who won the first Jeff Curran Invitational.

Curran’s two fighters are local law enforcement officers AJ Seratto, a black belt instructor and a McHenry County Department of Corrections officer, and Adam Munaretto, a Crystal Lake police sergeant.

A resident of Island Lake, Curran is a retired professional MMA fighter with a fifth-degree black belt. Now, he is adding documentarian to his long and accomplished resume. Curran recently completed filming a 10-day, seven-city, 2,600-mile trip in which he gave six seminars and filmed four documentary shorts for a series that will be posted on his YouTube page, according to the release.

One episode of “Jeff Curran” Martial Life" will focus on the production and behind-the-scenes look of his second invitational at The Vixen.

Curran’s focus is on athletes, whom he pays to be there. Many times, athletes have to pay to participate, plus cover costs of traveling, Curran said. Further ticket sale percentages are paid to the athletes whose ticket purchasers name them at checkout, according to the release.

“For the athletes, it’s a big validation,” Curran said. “My slogan is ‘Athletes First. Always.’”

About $30,000 was poured into production at the MAC for the first superfight, which included a raised stage and a giant screen.

Curran’s envisions hosting about two to three shows a year. He’s already looking to do another event at the MAC in the spring, with a goal of filling the venue with a crowd of 1,500. His ambition is to catapult the sport into the big leagues while putting McHenry County on the MMA map.

“I’m trying to build champions,” Curran said in the release. “This is a sport that’s growing worldwide. I think it needs to be recognized locally. I’m out to get eyes on it by people who’ve never seen it before.”

For information and buy tickets, visit jcinvitational.com. Ticket prices range from $75 to $600. The fight will be live-streamed on Curran’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/@JeffCurranInvitational.