Bellator 106 co-headliner Daniel Straus: Lesson learned with Jones-Gustafsson

Bellator featherweight Daniel Straus once was a fighter who enjoyed getting as much cage time as possible, but he’s changed his outlook in advance of a rematch and title shot against champ Pat Curran.

Straus, whose fight co-headlines Saturday’s Bellator 106 event, is returning from a yearlong layoff and figures he’ll have enough of a challenge shaking off cobwebs in the cage. Adding more time isn’t something he needs.

“If it comes to where I’m beating him up, and I’m beating him up and can’t finish him, yeah, I’m going to punish him all five rounds,” he told MMAjunkie.com Radio. “But him being a titleholder, that changes the story a little bit. I’ve got to get in there and get the job done.”

Straus (21-4 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) was set to challenge Curran (19-4 MMA, 9-1 BMMA) for the title in April at Bellator 95, but he broke his hand in training and was forced to withdraw from the bout. He had waited 11 months for the opportunity after winning the Season 6 featherweight tournament, and he’d even taken a fight in the interim since Season 4 tourney winner Patricio Freire was ahead of him in the line of contenders.

With a world title in reach, Straus doesn’t want to waste any more time.

“It’s definitely going to be challenging, but I’m blessed with an opportunity that a lot of guys haven’t been blessed with,” he said. “So being off a year, I’m just not going to let it affect me. Obviously, ring rust is a problem, but you’ve got to just get in there and get it done.”

Bellator 106 takes place at Long Beach Arena in California. The event’s main card, which is co-headlined by Curran vs. Straus, airs live on Spike TV following prelims on Spike.com.

There’s another reason the Bellator title challenger isn’t fighting like he’s paid by the minute. After watching UFC 165, Straus took away a lesson about seizing opportunity.

“You can’t really leave it to the judges’ hands with a title fight, as we saw with the (Jon) Jones and (Alexander) Gustafsson fight,” he said. “You’ve got to really get in there and take it to a guy and put him out. You’ve got to knock him out, submit him, and leave no doubt.”

If successful in earning a finish, Straus would be just the second MMA fighter to do so against the current champ, who hasn’t lost since dropping from lightweight to 145 pounds. Curran, ranked No. 5 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com MMA featherweight rankings, notched his second title defense at Bellator 95 by submitting Straus replacement Shahbulat Shamhalaev, which brought his current win streak to six fights.

When Curran and Straus, who’s ranked No. 10, met four years ago, Curran reigned with a second-round KO. But Straus puts more stock into ring rust than he does the outcome of that first fight.

“I can’t go back and watch that fight and say, ‘This is how I’m going to beat him,’” he said. “And he can’t go to that same fight and say, ‘This is how I’m going to beat him.’ We’re two totally different fighters, and we’ve grown tremendously since that fight. I learned a lot from that fight. I respect Pat. But we’re two different guys now. It’s going to be like the first time we meet again.”

When they do, Straus is banking on the fact that he’s been in several championship-length fights. This time around, he just plans to go home early.

“I’m not going to get in there and sit around and see what he’s thinking,” Straus said. “I’ve just got to start banging right away. I can be out two years, and if I still have the heart and I’m hungry, I’m going to go out there and get that belt, regardless.”

For more on Bellator 106, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.