Daniel Straus laughs as he ponders how quickly the way he's perceived in the industry has changed.
It was less than two years ago that Straus was considered just a name who was there, an opponent for then-featherweight champion Pat Curran's showcase fight on what was originally scheduled to be Bellator's pay-per-view debut in Nov. 2013.
Less than two years later, Bellator barely looks like the company that was on display that night in Long Beach, Calif., when Straus had what was then considered a stunning upset of Curran, which was followed by Eddie Alvarez's lightweight title win over Michael Chandler.