Jeff Curran Invitational 3: The Dominion is scheduled for Saturday, May 9, at The Vixen, 1208 N. Green St., McHenry.

Doors will open at 4 p.m. for the all-ages show, with the first of the no-gi, submission-only fighters stepping onto the mat about 6 p.m.

Seven of the fights, including two of the title fights, will feature female athletes. The main event, which is last fight of the night, will see 19-year-old Kai Saturno take on Joey Diehl, who is defending his bantam-weight belt, according to a news release.

Jeff “Big Frog” Curran, 48, of Island Lake, is professor of the Curran Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Crystal Lake. He’s also a former pro-level Mixed Martial Arts fighter who amassed a 37-18-1 win-loss-draw record, according to the MMA fighter page at Tapology.com.

Now featured in a new YouTube series called “The Martial Life,” Curran said he started his competitions to offer athletes a respectful, showcase event in which to demonstrate their prowess — and to potentially catapult some careers.

With no punching, striking or kicking, Curran’s events are not MMA fights. Instead, competitors use wrestling, jiu-jitsu and other martial arts maneuvers to subdue an opponent. They win by forcing a verbal or physical tap-out. A regulation fight lasts seven minutes with a three-minute overtime added as necessary.

“The emphasis is on technique and aggressiveness, with respect for one’s opponent always, always on display,” Curran said in the news release, adding that he has reviewed more than 250 applications to date for his three invitationals, the first of which was last September at The MAC in Crystal Lake, while the second took place in McHenry in January.

He studies fighters’ backgrounds, weight class information and more to create ideal pairings. And, having been a part of the pro MMA scene, Curran learned well the elements of putting on an entertaining show. He hires a crowd-pleasing emcee, has a panel of judges ready for split decisions in the relatively rare instance no submission is achieved, makes sure the stage lighting is just right, produces a livestream available on YouTube and chooses venues that favor both the fighters and the audience.

JCI 3 will feature standouts from Minnesota, Georgia, Utah, Virginia and more. The event is gaining acclaim in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu circles, having been featured in GRACIE Magazine as well as BJJ Eastern Europe, the release stated.

“It’s an exciting success story,” he said. “We’ve planted our seed and we’ve grown from it.”

JCI 4 already is in the works, planned for Sept. 19 at The MAC in Crystal Lake, where Curran himself might just step back on the competition mat, he hinted.

To see the full JCI 3 fight card or to purchase tickets, which start at $75, go to jcinvitational.com.