Not long after former Bellator champion Daniel Straus got into a bad motorcycle accident, the presumption was he never would fight again. Hell, some doctors thought, he might not walk normally ever again – if at all.

All that news did for Straus was serve as extra motivation.

“The moment he told me that, it just clicked, and it was like, ‘F-ck you,'” Straus recently told MMAjunkie Radio “… It was one of those things that in an odd way turned it around for me.”

Straus (24-8 MMA, 11-5 BMMA), who’s No. 14 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA feather rankings, was involved in the accident this past December, and though he didn’t want to give out many details about just what happened then (and still is keeping mum about a lot of it now), suffice it to say he was not in a good way.

“Right after the accident, I was lodged up under a guard rail,” Straus said. “I had no feeling. I was completely paralyzed. That remained for the little bit because of the issues I had in my neck and spinal cord.”

So understandably, the doctors were not giving him a very good outlook just as a regular person. But when they found out from Straus what he did for a living – ya know, that whole bit about how he was a two-time 145-pound champion and has wins over some of the best fighters in the world – they were adamant he probably wouldn’t be getting back into a cage.

And that’s where the “f-ck you” comes into play.

“As soon as it came out of his mouth, I knew it was bullsh-t,” Straus said. “… I tried to run it down for them what I did for a living, and all of them were like, ‘You can forget it. You won’t be going back. It’s not likely you’ll be walking normal or walking at all.'”

But Straus, who lost back-to-back fights in 2017, including a rematch with Patricio Freire that saw him surrender the title (it was his fourth career fight against “Pitbull”), said he’s already training and in full-on recovery mode. And not only has he set out to fight again, despite those experts’ predictions, but he thinks he can be back this year.

“Everyone knows I’ve had a hell of a story in the fight game, and this is just adding to it,” Straus said. “I look forward to getting back and continuing my journey in the sport.

“I’m looking for this year. I’m really looking forward to this year. More than just fighting, mentally I need it for myself. I need to get back. All fighters know when it comes to having to push yourself, you have to get in a certain position. I’m in that position now. I don’t think about fighting one day or down the line. … I’m already sparring and wrestling – I’m doing everything I shouldn’t be doing. It’s only a matter of time before I step back in the cage.”

For more on Bellator’s upcoming schedule, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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