Pat Curran makes Daniel Straus tap, regains featherweight title at Bellator 112
Pat Curran (20-5) silenced critics who didn't think he deserved an instant rematch, submitting Daniel Straus (22-5) with 14 seconds left in the fifth round with a rear-naked choke to take back the featherweight title at Bellator 112.
Curran-Straus III provided more entertainment than either of the previous two installments, with both fighters exchanging blows throughout the entire duration of the fight. However, it was Straus who controlled the pace of the fight after catching Curran with a left hook in the second round that caused significant swelling of his right eye.
"I thought Daniel was edging each round. I think he was up on the scorecards," said Curran after the fight. "Thank God I got that rear-naked choke in the fifth."
The tap out finish marked the first time Straus, who had to cut his trademark dreadlocks just to make weight, had been submitted in his MMA career. Afterwards, Straus appeared to be in good spirits, posting the following photo on Instagram, captioned "Nothing but smiles."
Bellator 112 results:
| Weight Class | Result |
|---|---|
| Featherweight | Pat Curran def. Daniel Straus (Submission) |
| Welterweight (QF) | Andrey Koreshkov def. Nah-Shon Burrell (TKO) |
| Welterweight (QF) | Sam Oropeza def. Cristiano Souza (TKO) |
| Welterweight (QF) | Adam McDonough def. Jesse Juarez (Unanimous decision) |
| Welterweight (QF) | Nathan Coy def. Paul Bradley (Unanimous decision) |
| Welterweight | Belal Muhammad def. AJ Matthews (Unanimous decision) |
| Featherweight | Darrion Caldwell def. Lance Surma (Submission) |
| Lightweight | Derek Loffer def. Bobby Reardanz (Unanimous decision) |
| Catchweight | Anthony Gomez def. Jason Guida (Unanimous decision) |
| Heavyweight | Daniel James def. Erick Correa (Submission) |
| Bantamweight | Diego Marlon def. Rob Menigoz (Submission) |