Pat Curran became a two time Bellator featherweight champion on Friday night in Indiana as he scored the latest stoppage victory in a Bellator title fight as he submitted Daniel Straus with 14 seconds left in the fight. 
Once the fight concluded, people wonder if Bellator would give Straus an immediate rematch or would season nine tournament winner Patricio Pitbull face Curran next.
The answer to the question came in the post fight press conference as Bellator MMA Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney announced that Pitbull will face Curran next and the winner of that fight will defend the title against Straus.
The matchup between Curran and Pitbull will be a rematch of their five round battle at Bellator 85 at the beginning of last year, which Curran won by split decision. Bellator could have given Pitbull an immediate rematch at the time, but they decided to have Curran make his next title defense against Shahbulat Shamhalaev, who won the season seven tournament.
Following the defeat to Curran, Pitbull went on to win four fights last year and three of the victories came by TKO/KO. His tournament final victory in the season nine tournament came against Justin Wilcox, which he won at the 2:23 mark of the opening round.
With the timetable of the Curran-Pitbull matchup being unknown at this time, Straus was asked at the post fight press conference if it would effect him by maybe having to wait awhile to get his chance to reclaim the title.
“I mean, yeah. I have to pay bills,” Straus said.
If Curran is healthy enough to get right back into camp, it would seem like a great idea to have him defend the title against Pitbull at the inaugural Bellator pay-per-view on May 17. However, his right eye did take some damage in the fight and this could delay the rematch with Pitbull.