Daniel Straus wins 145-pound tourney
Daniel Straus won the Bellator Season 6 featherweight tournament title Friday night in Atlantic City, N.J., with a unanimous decision over Marlon Sandro.
Two judges scored the Bellator 68 main event 30-27, while the third had it 29-28. ESPN.com scored the fight for Straus 30-27.
Straus was able to stand for a majority of the bout, utilizing good footwork and a right jab to avoid Sandro's hard overhand rights.
But Straus also showed he wasn't afraid to compete with Sandro, a skilled jiu-jitsu practitioner on the ground. He attempted several takedowns.
In the final round, after surviving a standing submission attempt by Sandro, Straus tossed Sandro to the ground and attempted a rear-naked choke. Sandro survived the choke as the horn sounded to end the fight.
Despite the victory, Straus was in no mood to celebrate.
"I'm going to keep improving," said Straus, who improved his professional record to 20-4. "I have to get a lot better. It wasn't the best fight in the world."
The loss snaps a three-fight win streak for Sandro, now 22-4.
As a result of capturing the tournament title, Straus secures a shot at the featherweight championship.
He will face either champion Pat Curran or top contender Patricio Freire. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said Friday night that he is targeting an August bout for Curran and Freire.
Galvao gets job done against Marx
Bantamweight Marcos Galvao took a step closer to fulfilling the promise he made to his dying mother in March.
Galvao rarely took a backward step en route to a unanimous decision over Travis Marx. The win sends Galvao to the Bellator Season 6 bantamweight finals.
All three judges scored it 29-28 for Galvao, who improved to 12-5-1. ESPN.com also had the bout for Galvao, 29-28.
"That win was for my mom," Galvao said. "Her birthday was on Thursday; this is for her.
"It's been my dream since my childhood. I know I'm going to win this tournament. It'll be for my mom."
Galvao impressed the judges with hard kicks to Marx's thigh. He also landed hard right hands and stiffed several takedown attempts.
Marx falls to 19-4.
- MMA columnist for ESPN.com
- Analyst for "MMA Live"
- Covered MMA/Boxing for The Star-Ledger
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