Daniel Weichel is no rookie. He might be unknown to many MMA fans in the U.S., but has fought all over the globe over the last 13 years, held the M-1 lightweight championship and won last year’s Bellator 145-lb. tournament in impressive fashion. That earned him a shot against then-champion Pat Curran. But Bellator’s new CEO Scott Coker had other plans, buried the tournament format and Weichel’s title shot with it. This Friday, Weichel will finally face Curran – but without a belt on the line. The German doesn’t mind.
“Becoming Bellator champion is my primary goal!”, Weichel told Ground and Pound. “And as a champion, I would have to fight Curran sooner or later anyway. […] It motivates me to see what Pat has accomplished, I am happy to fight such a great opponent. This is definitely one of the biggest fights of my life.”
Curran is indeed one of the top-ten featherweights in the world. He has lost and regained the featherweight title in back-to-back fights against Daniel Straus in 2013 and 2014, and lost it again to Patricio Freire last September. Weichel on the other hand has been inactive since winning the tournament in May, preparing himself for his next big step. He will enter the cage as a huge underdog on Friday, but again, he isn’t bothered.
“I don’t waste a thought on being underdog or favorite. That’s just a waste of energy”, Weichel explains. “I know I have what it takes to beat Pat Curran. If I’m concentrated and I listen to my corner, nothing can happen. […] Curran is a very complete fighter, and so am I. I can fight anywhere. I will pressure him, I will be 100 percent concentrated and sharp – and that will be my key to victory. If I see the smallest opening, I’m gonna take it, it doesn’t matter if it’s standing or on the ground.”
With Coker now handling Bellator’s business, abandoning the tournament format wasn’t the only innovation the former Strikeforce bossmann adopted. In fact, he restructured the top part of his fight cards with well-known, but sometimes old and limited veterans, such as Tito Ortiz, Stephan Bonnar, and most recently: YouTube brawler Kimbo Slice. These guys demand their share of money and spotlight, but again – you guessed it…
“That doesn’t bother me. I feel that Bellator does a great job in entertaining their fans, and this is another way to do that. Entertainment on all kinds of levels approaches all different kinds of fans, so that’s a good thing. I like the direction the company is heading. The shows are getting bigger and bigger and I am happy to be a part of that.”
However, after 42 fights and with the UFC’s constant European expansion, one has to ask, if and when Weichel will fulfill every MMA Fighter’s greatest dream: to one day fight in the world-famous Octagon, especially with another event in his home-country Germany coming up in June.
“At the moment I don’t feel any urge at all. I’m fighting one of the world’s best featherweights this Friday, and that is exactly what I always wanted to do: Compete with the best in the world.”