When Daniel Straus enters the cage on Friday at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, he hopes the third time will be the charm. There, in the Bellator 145 main event, he will challenge Bellator MMA featherweight champion Patricio Freire -- a man to whom he has already lost twice.
Straus anticipates a different outcome this time, but the Cincinnati fighter did not expect to get another crack at Freire so soon after being dispatched by the Brazilian 10 months ago. Their back-and-forth battle at Bellator 132 on Jan. 16 ended with the American submitting to a rear-naked choke late in the fourth round, curtailing his quest to regain the championship he once held.