CR Exclusive Interview with Daniel Straus

Daniel Straus receiving the $100,000 check after winning Bellator's featherweight tournament.
Photo via MMAWeekly.com

The second best featherweight in Bellator could very well be the best featherweight in Bellator. Daniel Straus, a huge and strong 145er, is the next to challenge current Bellator champion, Pat Curran. With an extremely impressive record of 21-4 including wins over Marlon Sandro, Mike Corey, and Nazareno Malagarie, Straus could very well be the man to take the belt away from Curran.

Despite Curran holding a win over Straus in the past, these are two completely different fighters since that past meeting.

With their second meeting now scheduled for April of this year, Straus sat down with us for an interview.

Check it out:

CR: Going into your fight with Pat Curran in April, what are your plans when it comes to your training camp; what will you be focusing on the most?

Daniel: I sat down with the coaches and I have been studying tape with them and I think, personally, I like the stand up game with him. He has really good boxing but with my stuff, I think I can exploit some of the things that he is weak at. When I get in the gym with my coaches, we have been working really hard on my movement, standing and basically my fundamentals.

CR: How do you think your previous loss to Curran will affect this fight for the both of you when it comes to mentality and preparation?

Daniel: I think the loss helps motivate me and to be honest I don't really think about it. It doesn't really bother me. I don't grieve on it and I don't go back to it as far as looking at my career. It is a loss to me and I've moved on. I learned from that loss. You can tell from my record. After that loss to Pat Curran it did something to me. So, coming into this fight it is just the same thing. I lost to him when I previously fought him. I knew I'd fight him again. Obviously everyone knows he hits hard but I am not scared to get hit by him. So, that’s actually an advantage for me, its keeps me more motivated.

Cr: Great and also, who do you predict will win the current featherweight tournament: Shamalaev or Rad Martinez?

Daniel: Honestly man, it’s really a tossup. Somebody asked me that before and it’s really hard to answer. You know Martinez, a lot of guys count him out but as you can see that in every fight he has ever fought in, he is always in there. He is the guy to beat. As far as Shamalaev, he’s just as tough. He looks like a killer and fights like a killer. So, it’s just going to be a tough fight for the both of them.

CR: Yea it should be a great fight. So, you to be improving each fight, what have you been doing to be able to improve like that?

Daniel: Really just focusing on my flaws. Focus on what I'm good at and what I'm not good at. Going back to the drawing board. It’s not myself that makes me better. It’s my teammates and my coaches. I get in the gym I work hard with my teammates. And when I'm not doing something right I am instructed to do it differently. I will then try and work on that more and more. And I think it has been showing through in my fights.

CR: Absolutely. Also, what will your goals be after you win the title?

                                                                                                 

Daniel: My goal after winning the title is to defend the title and continue to defend the title. I don't necessarily have any goals as far as like with any other organization. Right now, I am just focusing on winning fights. Right now, this is where I'm at and this is where I want to win my fights at. For the future I just see myself as a multiple time championship winner and holding on to the belt in Bellator.

CR: What do you think will go through your mind if you win the title?

Daniel: I did it. You know, I did it. This fight is really important for me. I've come a long way in my career. It’s been only a few years but it has come full circle for me. You know it’s a big stage. It’s also getting bigger with Spike and everything so winning this fight just lets me know to myself that I've made it.

CR: Wow that's really awesome. What strategy do you believe Curran will use against you?

Daniel: I think he will definitely want to pick me apart on the feet. I think he will want to use his boxing advantage. I think he will want to use it for the fact that he's knocked me out before. An advantage that maybe he thinks I will keep that in my head; which really doesn't bother me. I think he'll also use the fact that he's very good on the ground and up against the cage. So, I think he will definitely try and exploit those for sure.

CR: When you finished Alvin Robinson, did it feel good to quiet all of the critics who have complained saying that you don't finish fights?

Daniel: To be honest, no man. It really didn't. I stand behind how I feel, you know what I mean?

CR: Yea for sure.

Daniel: Don't get me wrong, I think a lot of people get what I say wrong. People take me as "Oh he's not a guy that wants to finish" or "he's not looking for the finish"; which is absolutely not true. I'm looking for that knockout. I want that knockout, I want that submission. It feels good to get it but I'm not going to change how I fight for the next man's view. I believe that if I can break a man by going all 15 or 25 minutes then that's what I’m going to do to win my fight. This game is a strategy game. It’s not just a barbaric game, its strategy. If that’s my strategy and it works for me, then that's what I'm going to continue to do.

CR: Yea, sounds very reasonable. Why change what is making you so successful. Anyway, we wish you a ton of luck in your fight against Pat.

Daniel: Thanks a lot man.

Make sure to follow Daniel on Twitter @DanielStraus and support him in his upcoming title bid against Pat Curran on April 4^th. 

Fighter Sponsorship Campaign

We here at CR are trying to raise funds so that we can sponsor a fighter on Indiegogo (Click here to see campaign). Our Indiegogo campaign says "UFC Fighter" but that is just so the average person who may not know what a "Mixed Martial Artist" or "MMA Fighter" is can identify with what we are trying to do. We want to sponsor in either Bellator or UFC (or if another great opportunity comes up we will go with that.) We will literally sponsor any fighter as long as it benefits both parties.

If you are a fighter, agent or anyone interested or have questions please look at our campaign and then contact us at cr_mma@yahoo.com

We are only raising about $1,800 and no more. If you contribute there are amazing perks that you can receive in return for helping out. Those are listed on our campaign page. Please spread the word and help us complete one of our dreams.

For those who do not understand what we are trying to do understand that every fighter has to pay to train before fights plus they have their everyday expenses and bills. So, after getting paid after their fight they usually do not have much money left over except from their sponsors. We want to be one of those sponsors so that we can help a fighter and contribute to this great sport. This will also help us advertise and reach a greater audience. This would be a dream come true for us. 

Again please visit this website www.indiegogo.com/crmma and help us out.

CR Exclusive Interview with Sam Alvey

"Smilin’" Sam Alvey is a tall 185er who is 19-4 (11 wins by KO) with some impressive wins over guys like Karl Amoussou and Augusto Montano. Alvey is just coming off of a stint as a cast member on The Ultimate Fighter 16 on FX. Alvey was not asked back to fight on the Finale card but when some doors are closed, others will open. Alvey is now going to fight Elvis Mutapcic at MFC 36 on February 15^th for the middleweight title. Alvey is very excited for the opportunity. He took some time to talk with us before the holidays about TUF, MFC, Bellator, Team Quest and his thoughts on Ronda Rousey’s main event status.

Check it out:

Championship Rounds: How has your life changed since being on TUF?

Sam Alvey: You know, what my life consists of is basically the same things. I get up, I train, I come home. I go back to the gym, I come home again and back to the gym. Same thing every day. It is cool though, I have been recognized 11 times outside of sporting events.

CR: What was your experience like living inside the TUF house? And how were all the personalities?

SA: Everyone assumes it is a constant mile-a-minute ride, but the truth is, it’s boring almost the entire time. You work out for about; well team Carwin we worked out for 4 hours a day. Team Nelson worked out for 2 hours. And the rest of the time you’re back at the house. You know, some of the personalities really made things easier. Like Igor he is one of the biggest personalities I’ve ever met. Matt Secor, I love him to death, he talks a lot but you know what, it was fun listening to him too because there was nothing to do.

CR: After being around Dana for a little bit, what was your take on him.

SA: He is the exact same way as he seems on camera. He knows what he is doing, down to business and if he wants something he will get it. And that being said I really liked him. I think he represents the sport well.

CR: Were you surprised, like we were, that you did not fight in the finale?

SA: Yes, I was very surprised and even more so that no one fought in the finale. It was a 3 man finale [with Roy Nelson, Colton Smith, and Mike Ricci]. But I did get to go and watch my good friend Colton win and it was a great event. Pat Barry was amazing. Even Roy Nelson, for as short as he came up on the coaching side of things, definitely can fight.

CR: How do you feel about fighting for MFC and fighting for a title?

SA: It is a great opportunity. It is one of the bigger organizations in the world and the biggest in Canada. It is my home. My teammate Richie Whitson fought for them about a year ago a couple times and watching him really made me a fan of the organization. So, I'm looking forward to stepping in the ring and impressing everyone that watches.

CR: So, what do you think of your opponent, Elvis Mutapcic? What do you think he brings to the table and how do you see that fight going down?

SA: He is kinda like the T-2. He is good at striking, he is really fast, and he trains with wrestlers constantly. He is just the next breed of fighter and I’m going to get in the cage and show him I am too. So, it’s going to be a great fight and anyone that watches will leave that arena or broadcast impressed.

CR: What is it like training at Team Quest on a daily basis?

SA: It’s the hardest training I’ve ever had. I’ve worked out at gyms around the world and nothing is compared to Team Quest. They just have this drive led by Dan Henderson. Then the coaches he has brought in: Daniel Woirin, Ricardo Feliciano, Bryan Harper, are all top notch. When I win my next fight it will be because of them and I couldn’t have done it at any other gym.

CR: So, you fought some really great fights in Bellator. What was your experience with Bellator like and if you ever had the opportunity would you ever go back?

SA: You know what? It was a good experience but I don’t know if I would go back or not. They would have to talk with me. They just didn’t seem to like me at all (laughs). They asked me before the tournaments, ‘Who would you want to fight the most?’ I told them, ‘Last year’s champ’, because I wanted to go all in. I love striking and I’m good at wrestling too. I just thought it was a great matchup for me. And then they asked who my least favorite opponent was and I told them I’d beat [Vitor] Vianna but you know a black belt like that is pretty intense and he trains with some of the best in the world also. And that is who they matched me up with; which is fine because I will fight anyone at any time. I also personally thought I won that fight but two judges saw it a different way but life goes on.

CR: Yea, that fight was extremely close. So, there is some noise coming from your camp that they are upset, and rightfully so in my opinion, that Dan Henderson is fighting Lyoto Machida underneath Ronda Rousey and her title fight. So, is it true that some people are upset about it and what are your feelings about it?

SA: Well, I don’t want to put words in anyone’s mouth because everyone knows she is a great athlete and all that. However, my personal opinion is that she hasn’t earned it. Dana White says she is the title holder and the title holder will always be the main event. But she was given the title, she hasn’t fought for it. Then you have Dan Henderson in there who has fought everyone from around the world and left from two organizations with three different title belts. He does deserve to be the main event but he is happy just fighting and just like everyone else from Team Quest, he just loves the sport.

CR: Yea I was kind of shocked, to be honest, when they announced Ronda as the main event. But one last question. How do you see the Fight with Dan and Machida going down?

SA: My man Dan is as good as it gets. I don’t think Machida has what it takes to beat him. Dan’s got more power than Machida and he is a better wrestler than Machida. Dan works the clinch better than anyone in the UFC except for maybe Anderson Silva. I just think it’s a bad matchup for Machida and I look forward to see Dan knocking him out or submitting him.

CR: Thank you so much for taking your time and doing this with us. We wish you luck in your fight.

SA: Thanks.

Sam Alvey was the nicest guy on TUF 16 and might be the nicest guy I have ever talked to over the phone. Make sure you keep an eye on Alvey because he will be making some huge splashes in the next few years. Make sure to follow him on Twitter @smilensam and watch his fight in February on AXS TV.

MFC Signs UFC Vet Jay Silva; 36th Event Taking Shape

Jay Silva pounding Kendall Grove.
Photo via Superior Cage Combat

The MMA world’s largest Canadian based promotion continues its growth with the signing of UFC, Bellator, and KSW veteran in Jay Silva. The middleweight is coming off of a very close majority decision loss to Poland’s Michal Materla back in May of this year. But before that, Silva was coming off of a huge upset submission win over The Ultimate Fighter season 3 winner, Kendall Grove in a highlight reel submission win by arm triangle.

But his opponent at MFC 36 is no easy one. Jacen Flynn, a veteran of the sport since 1999, is a tough-as-nails competitor with an impressive resume including first round submissions over Pride and UFC vet Denis Kang, journeyman Hank Weiss twice, and Edwin Dewees. His ground game is solid but Silva isn’t exactly the easiest fighter to submit, considering he hasn’t been submitted in his career despite fights with CB Dollaway, Jaime Jara, and Kendall Grove.

Maximum Fighting continues its middleweight matchups for its 36^th event with a bout between Jason Zentgraf and Luke Harris. This bout is bound to produce both fireworks and some crazy scrambles on the ground as they only have gone to one decision between the two of them and have 14 first round submission wins combined.

Harris, coming off a first round TKO loss at the hands of the underappreciated Joseph Henle, is looking to get back on track after an impressive run in a nine fight unbeaten streak. Jason Zentgraf, on the other hand, looks to continue to a four fight win streak at MFC 36.

The card is still in the works, though it will be headlined by lightweights Mukai Maromo and Graham Spencer for the MFC lightweight title.

The event will be held on AXS TV on February 15^th at 10 PM ET and held at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta.

Go purchase your tickets at www.maximumfighting.com.

CR Exclusive Interview with Ricardo Tirloni

Ricardo Tirloni (photo by Bellator.com)

Ricardo Tirloni is one of the most underappreciated fighters in the world. He is one of the top lightweights in Bellator, and the world, and yet has gone unknown to casual fans. Holding one of the best ground games at 155 and powerful standup, Tirloni has all the makings to be a champion.

Boasting a 15-2 record, with his only two losses being to two of the best lightweights in the world, Benson Henderson and Rick Hawn, Tirloni is a world class fighter. Being a participant in the tournament in Bellator's most stacked division is certainly no easy task and Tirloni has made it look easy thus far. He blasted through Rene Nazare with a second round brabo choke, which was extremely impressive.

In the semi-finals, he will face off with 17-2 David Jansen, who also looked mighty impressive himself with a third round submission win over Magomed Saadulaev. Ricardo was gracious enough to sit down with us before his fight with Jansen.

Check it out:

Championship Rounds: Hey Ricardo, thank you very much for agreeing to do this interview. We can’t wait until your fight with David Jansen. So, talk about your fight with Jansen. How has training camp been going?

Ricardo Tirloni: Training camp was very good, we have been training for a long time to be ready for the tournament, and I am very ready for this fight.

CR: What are your initial impressions of Jansen?
 

RT: He is a good athlete with good conditioning and wrestling and with a BJJ background. He always comes  in good shape.

CR: How do you predict your fight going?
 

RT: I always come out aggressive and try to finish the fight and with this fight I think will take place on the ground.

CR:  How do you predict the Marcin Held vs. Rich Clementi fight will go?
 

RT: I don’t know. Held is young and hungry and Clementi has all the skills that you need, so let’s see what happens.

CR: What is your message to the champion Michael Chandler?
 

RT: I have no messages for Chandler because I think and want Hawn to become the champ, but first I will win the tournament.

CR: Are there any fighters we should look out for fighting from Ataque Duplo that we might not know of?
 

RT: Yes, we have a lot of fighters there, make sure to watch Santiago Ponzinibio, Ivan Batman and Kevin Souza.

CR: Thanks again Ricardo. Best of luck in your upcoming fight. We’ll be cheering for you!

RT: Thanks guys!

Thanks again to Ricardo Tirloni. Make sure you guys follow him @TirloniMMA and wish him luck this Friday.

Prospect Spotlight: Tyson Nam

Photo via Galaxy.com

There has been one man not named Jon Jones that has been highlighting headlines across the Internet in the past 24 hours, and he was relatively unknown beforehand.

That man’s name is Tyson Nam. Don’t recognize it? Start now! The Oregon born native came in to fight Bellator’s bantamweight champion, Eduardo Dantas, at Shooto Brazil 33 to be a simple testament to the skills of the top-10 135er.

Things didn’t exactly go as planned.

Eduardo Dantas came out extremely aggressive, running at him with a flying knee in the opening seconds. Although Dantas ended up landing some solid knees and punches, Nam found an opening after taking a huge knee and landed a monstrous right hand that immediately put the young champ in another dimension. He went as limp as limp can get, and this was only at the 1:40 mark of the first round.

Tyson Nam, in extreme euphoria, ran out of the cage and into the crowd to celebrate a monumental moment in his career that will forever change the course of his life. Now that sounds a bit extreme, but a KO win over a top-10 fighter, especially a champion in the 2^nd biggest promotion to hold bantamweight, will get the attention of promotions around the world.

Now lots of people have been talking about letting Nam get a shot in the next 135-pound tournament that Bellator will hold, but I say nay! This man deserves a shot in the premier organization of MMA. He deserves a shot in the UFC and he deserves immediate attention.   

Growing Pains: True Title Challengers

Dana White crowning Junior dos Santos Heavyweight Champ (Photo by Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE, US PRESSWIRE)

This is a new segment we are starting here at CR called Growing Pains. Our beloved sport is relatively new and is still growing and forming into a solid structure that can and will last for the long term. The sport inside the cage has developed extremely quickly but it is all of the issues surrounding the sport and outside the cage that still need to develop the most. In this segment we will be writing about those issues and would love your (our devoted readers) feedback in return.

This time around we are discussing Title Challengers. After the FOX 4 Shogun Rua vs. Brandon Vera main event was announced people were a tad confused because Shogun is much higher in the ratings. But when Dana White said that the winner receives a title shot there was a lot of confusion and mixed emotions. I think that down the line this issue will be much more important than we now see it.

I recently watched a replay of a FOX Business episode that had Bjorn Rebney on. Rebney is the CEO of Bellator and he truly believes in the tournament format to determine true title challengers. I tend to agree with him that it is the best way. I think almost everyone does. In every other sport, even college football now, has the tournament format and everyone is satisfied in the end that the true champion was crowned (except if it’s not your team and then you blame the refs…I do it too). I am a Yankees fan. I am from New York and have loved them my whole life. If you aren’t a Yankees fan then you hate them but even in the end after the Yankees win the World Series most people accept it. They give the “they have too much money” excuse but they recognize they are the best team.

Dana White is a man that runs on emotions. He makes decisions based on how he feels and his emotions sometimes trump thought-out and well planned decisions. Do we want a sport where the most significant championship fights are determined by who the boss likes most? Do we want a popularity contest? I hope not! Now, many believe that tournaments shorten fighters’ careers which I believe does hold some validity but if done correctly then I think we can keep the athletes safe. Look at how the flyweight tournament went down. Every fight was spaced out far enough and no one fought twice in one night.

Now I am not saying the UFC needs to constantly have tournaments but I think this week’s title contender match proves the UFC needs some improvements. Maybe even an official rankings system could work. They show rankings on UFC Tonight but if they detailed how they came to those results and then decided to promote those more it will have people believing in them.

I think the best solution is to formally announce the top four fighters in each weight class and then have them fight each other in a mini-tournament, just like the flyweight tournament, to get a true title contender. Maybe mix in those rankings I mentioned previously to give more credibility in ranking the top four in each weight class. Another positive is each one of those fights could be an important main event on cards. Giving more credibility and importance on a regular basis; in other words every main event would have title implications.

But in the end what matters most is that the customers, the fans, are satisfied and that our sport does what is best for its own longevity. The UFC needs to start thinking long-term about this matter. How many more Shogun-Vera situations will it take before people stop caring about UFC title fights? I hope we don’t find out.

CR Exclusive Interview with Eduardo Dantas!

Bellator Bantamweight Champ Eduardo Dantas (Photo by Hexlinc)

Eduardo Dantas is a rarity in a sport such as MMA. At only 23 years old, he is the bantamweight champion in the 2^nd largest promotion to hold the 135-pound division. He has incredible power for a bantamweight as he has a brutal knockout win over veteran Wilson Reis with a beautifully set up flying knee. He also holds up a very advanced ground game that was especially shown with his submission win over former champ, Zach Makovsky. This is all helped by his reach advantage he has over most of his opponents as he towers over them at 5’10”.

And to top this all off, he trains at one of the best camps in the world, Nova Uniao, alongside UFC champions Jose Aldo and Renan Barao.

He was very gracious in taking time from training for his next fight for an interview.

Championship Rounds: Hey Eduardo, thank you very much for agreeing to do this interview! So, how do you see the fight between Luis Nogueira and Marcos Galvao going? Who do you predict is going to be the winner?

Eduardo Dantas: It will be a tough fight for 3 rounds, and I believe “Loro” (Marcos Galvao) will win!

CR: Describe the experience watching the bantamweight tournament unfold in determining your next challenger. What has that been like?

ED: It is great to see a tournament with so many good fighters, and to see my next [challenger]. I'm going to settle [into training]!

CR: What is it like being only 23 years old and a champion of one of the world’s biggest MMA organizations?

ED: It is very good; I hope to get to 30 years old with many titles!

CR: How many fights do you have left on your contract with Bellator? Will you come to the UFC once it’s fulfilled?

ED: Bellator is an event that I will not leave; it treats me very well. I love all the organizers at Bellator. They are my family. My contract is 1 year and 6 months. In the UFC, Renan is my friend, who will be beating everyone. I do not see anyone in the UFC beating him.

CR: When you come to the UFC, would you be willing to fight your teammate Renan Barao if he is the champion?

ED: This is our job, we are paid for our show, and so we will fight!

CR: What is it like training at such a prestigious camp such as Nova Uniao?

ED: It is paradise! Everyday I power train with the best! Thank God, I love to fight!

CR: What is a name from Nova Uniao that we should keep our eye on?

ED: Everyone, we [at Nova Unaio] just have the best!

Thanks again to Eduardo Dantas. Make sure you follow him on Twitter @Dudantas22 and watch Bellator 73 as Luis Nogueira and Marcos Galvao battle to be the next one to challenge Dantas for his belt!

Bellator 65 Predictions

Dave’s Picks

Main Card

Champ Zach Makovsky vs. Eduardo Dantas: Makovsky by unanimous decision.

Mike Corey vs. Daniel Straus: Straus by unanimous decision.

Marcos Galvao vs. Ed West: Marcos by split decision.

Luis Nogueira vs. Alexis Vila: Alexis unanimous decision.

Sam’s Picks

Main Card

Champ Zach Makovsky vs. Eduardo Dantas: Makovsky by split decision.

Mike Corey vs. Daniel Straus: Straus by 1^st round submission.

Marcos Galvao vs. Ed West: Galvao by unanimous decision.

Luis Nogueira vs. Alexis Vila: 2^nd round TKO.

You can catch the main card on MTV2 and the under card on Spike.com! Should be a great night of fights!