Daniel Straus “Getting in This Ring and Beating Dat (Nguyen) Down”
Daniel Straus and Dat Nguyen headline BKFC 38 in a featherweight fight set for March 17th.
Straus appeared on Bowks Talking Bouts to discuss his thoughts on becoming BKFC’s inaugural 145-pound champ someday, the machinations of this matchup, plus so much more. Excerpts from our chat are below.
Daniel Straus
How long this transition to a new combat sport has been on Straus’ radar
“It’s actually been on for a while. A little more than a year actually. So, I originally had talks with them a while back and we couldn’t make something happen at the time. Kind of just was moving through the motions. Was just staying in the gym, working a job. Just doing the normal 1-2 and (this) came back on my plate. Was offered to, you know, let’s get this done and that’s what we did. So, I ended up signing with them, they threw me Dat (Nguyen), and I was excited.”
If Straus is in fact retired from mixed martial arts per an Instagram post after his last MMA bout
“I think so. I wasn’t meaning; see, a couple people asked me about that. The whole reason why I put that was you know another life, another loss, you keep it moving. I went back and I had seen people asking me like are you done with MMA? At the time, I wasn’t. I have a fighter’s spirit, so I didn’t really feel like I was done. But you know, the way that things go with the age and stuff like that, I have nothing to prove when it comes to the MMA world.”
“I did what I did with Bellator. I reached the highest of the mountain, reached the lowest of the peaks. I’m at a point now where I don’t really want to be grappling and rolling around and all that shit. Kind of just want to throw some hands. So now that I take a step back and if you ask me, I’m not done with combat sports, but I would think that I am done with MMA.”
BKFC 38
Straus’ thoughts on Nguyen’s resume across Boxing and bare-knuckle boxing
“Dat is a competitor and he deserves everything that he’s accomplished. He’s been a talented fighter, gloved and not gloved. You can’t take that away from him. That’s the thing. When you face somebody that has the mindset like him and myself, you have to acknowledge that. It’s not like I can walk in and be like oh this guy is a little guy, he’s a pushover, whatever. No, he’s a fighter, you know? That’s what we are, we’re fighters.”
“Like I said with his resume and things that he’s done, you can’t take that away from him, you know what I mean? He has a huge warrior spirit which I appreciate. I’m not one to sit back and shit talk because I know what it takes to be in combat sports. So I appreciate what he has done as far as his resume. That’s what riles me up to want to fight a guy like him and challenge myself.”
BKFC
The level of interest in eventually becoming BKFC’s inaugural featherweight champion
“Well, you know, let’s collect the belts, you know what I mean? I put it this way, it’s a goal that I have of mine. It’s something I would love to be able to put on my resume as well. But going into the fight, I’m not just thinking hey I beat him, I can become a champ here, whatever. No, I gotta make my bones in this sport as well.”
“So, it’s something that’s in the back of my head. Something I’ve thought about but it’s not what is, I would say, at the front line of things for me right now. My front line is getting in this ring and beating Dat down. Getting onto the next opponent and getting onto the next opponent. So on and so forth. When I’m deserving of it, it will come.”
