Daniel Straus will be looking to become the fourth man in Bellator history next Friday night to become a two-time champion when he challenges Patricio “Pitbull” Freire for the featherweight title in the main event of Bellator 132.
The event will come from the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California and this will be the second straight fight that Straus will compete at the Temecula venue.
Back at Bellator 127, Straus (23-5) scored the fifth fastest victory in a Bellator featherweight fight as he stopped Justin Wilcox in 50-seconds. With this being his second straight fight at Pechanga, is Straus a superstitious fighter? Will he do everything the same this time as he did in his last fight?
“I use to be,” Straus said about being superstitious. “When I was wrestling I was really superstitious and I can not say that I am not now. There is a hint of it there and I try not to be. I just try to work off what I know, what to do and what not. You can’t help but to think that I fought out here last time and I knocked a guy out. I try not to be but there is a little bit there.”
The fight between Straus and Pitbull is a rematch from their bout at Bellator 45, which was the season four featherweight tournament final. Pitbull won that fight by unanimous decision and it has been over three years since their first meeting. Obviously, fighters make changes to their fighting styles over time but Straus sees the same Pitbull now that he saw back in 2011.
“He is aging. That’s it,” Straus said. “Same Pitbull I seen then is the same Pitbull I still see. The hard hitting mean dude that is going to come forward to try to take your head off. Same guy I saw back then.”
This will be the first Bellator featherweight title defense for Pitbull as he defeated Pat Curran in September by unanimous decision to win the title. Straus admitted that he has not watched their first meeting since he can not find the fight online anywhere and the most important fights for him to study of Pitbull’s is the most recent ones.
“His past few fights is what I need watch,” he said. “What he has been doing recently is what I need to pay attention to. Just like what I have done recently is what he needs to pay attention to, not what happened three years ago. If anything, we have studied the newer footage and stuff like that.”
Back at Bellator 123 when Pitbull defeated Curran, it can be said that the Brazilian had a chip on his shoulder. He had waited over a year and a half to get a rematch with Curran and he dominated the fight for twenty five minutes. While Straus has a chip on his shoulder as well going into this fight, it’s not towards his opponent, it’s about getting back the Bellator featherweight title.
Towards him no, but towards that belt hell yeah. That belt is mine. I do not have any personal vendetta towards him because I lost to him. It’s apart of the game. As far as myself, I know where I belong and it’s with that belt. I am just going to knock his ass out and I am going to get that belt back. That is what I want and that is what I deserve. That is what I have been working really hard for. That is my goal for me, personally.