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| 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 4th.
