Straus initially stepped on the scale a half pound heavy, but the champion made 145 pounds on his second attempt. Curran, meanwhile, tipped the scales at 144.7 pounds with no issue ahead of his title opportunity from The Venue at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Ind. The featherweights first met in 2009 prior to joining Bellator, with Curran scoring a second-round knockout under the Xtreme Fighting Organization banner. Straus avenged his defeat four years later, snatching away Curran’s featherweight title in a unanimous verdict last November at Bellator 106.
Friday’s event will also showcase the Season 10 welterweight quarterfinals, highlighted by former Bellator title challenger Andrey Koreshkov (170.7) taking on UFC alum Nah-Shon Burrell (171). The tournament additionally features matchups pitting Cristiano Souza (170.8) against Sam Oropeza (170.2) and Jesse Juarez (170.7) against Adam McDonough (170.5), as well as a rematch between UFC alum Paul Bradley (170.8) and Strikeforce vet Nathan Coy (170.5).
Prior to the evening’s Spike TV-broadcast main draw, the show’s preliminary card streams live on Spike.com, highlighted by a featherweight confrontation between 2009 NCAA Division I wrestling champion Darrion Caldwell (145.7) and Lance Surma (146).