This past April, Daniel Straus lost more than the Bellator featherweight championship in March. On the surface he lost his hair to make weight, and he also lost a bit of himself.
Looking back on the loss to Pat Curran, Straus feels he wasn’t fully himself and it ended up costing him, but he’s quick to move on and reclaim his missing pieces.
“Personally, I just wasn’t focused and it showed and I paid for it,” said Straus. “It wasn’t really a big deal for me because a loss doesn’t affect me the way it does other people – after a loss I come back a lot stronger. After the fight, I knew I needed to take some time, refocus and get back to what I need to get to and do what I need to do – and that’s what I did.
“It was really tough to go through, but at the same time maybe it was a blessing in disguise because it got me back on the right road.”
While Straus can fully realize himself again, one part of him that’s not going to be so quick to come back is his hair, which he had to cut in order to make weight.
“When I started fighting and I first started growing my hair so that it was going to be part of my journey,” Straus told MMAWeekly.com. “The more that I fought and the harder I fought it would be part of my journey.
“For four years straight I was going strong, and I lost and I lost my hair, so it was hard, but it’s hair and it will grow back. I’m willing to shave it off at any moment to be part of this game.”
Straus (22-5) will look to get back on track Friday against Justin Wilcox (14-6, 1NC) in the main event of Bellator 127 in Temecula, Calif.
“He has a very strong style and pushes forward with some great wrestling and decent striking, so for me, I need to stay in his face and keep him off balance,” Straus said of Wilcox. “I want to implement my plan and put him on his ass and then knock him out.
“I don’t want to just win – I want to make a statement.”
While Straus is confident he will meet up with Curran again in the future, whom he ultimately fights for the title is of no consequence.
“I want the belt,” said Straus. “I don’t care how I get there.
“I’m not looking to call out names. If I have to fight Pat before I get to the belt, so be it. If I get to fight ‘Pitbull’ (Patricio Freire) next, so be it. My goal is not focusing on who I fight, but what I fight for.”
