Pat Curran Expects to Fight Daniel Straus Again ‘Very Soon’

In an interview with the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show, the Bellator featherweight champion discussed his March 14 title win over Straus, his battle with depression and more.

On submitting Straus with just seconds left in the fight: “Really you couldn’t have wrote it any better. It ended perfectly, with the 16 seconds left and me being down on everyone’s scorecards. The funny thing is, the judges did have the fight pretty even going into the fifth, but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if it went all five rounds and I didn’t get the finish and for some reason I ended up winning that fight. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself. That’s not how I want to win a fight.”

On depression and his loss to Straus last November: “Pretty much as a fighter, it’s all mental. Our second fight together, I just mentally was not in it. I was going through a lot of personal stuff. I was suffering from anxiety and depression, and it just really added up in my training camp and leading into that fight. It showed. I wasn’t in it. There was like a cloud over my head. I just didn’t want to be there. … It’s a very hard thing to deal with, anxiety and depression. If you’ve never had it before, it’s miserable. I just felt like I was in a dark hole and it just kept getting darker and darker. It almost felt like you can never get out of it.”

On getting help: “I looked to my cousin Jeff and asked for his help, and my manager Brian stepped up huge too. They both worked together to help me find the right help. I went and saw a sports psychologist and he got me back on track.”

On his improvement: “Everything fell into place. I got my mind back on track. Training started going great again, and just mentally I was ready to win this fight. I went into this fight with Straus, our third fight, knowing that I was going to win. Mentally, I knew I was going to win. I already had him beat, and I was ready to go those five rounds and just push myself to the limit.”

On whether he expects to fight Straus again: “Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. We were so evenly matched and it was such a great fight. That’s what Bellator wants to put on -- Bellator wants to put on these great fights for the fans, and our fourth time around it’s just going to be even better than our last fight. Bjorn [Rebney] already said it. After I fight [Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire], and I do plan on beating him, I’m going to have a rematch with Straus again. It’s going to be very soon. You’re going to see a fourth fight between me and Straus.”

Listen to the full interview (beginning at 1:23:10).