Fighter Wins Debut At Strikeforce
Online, January 10, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Steven Durr (18-4) continued his winning streak in his Strikeforce debut against David Hurst, submitting Hurst with a triangle choke in the first round (1:36) of their matchup. After trading blows early in the first, Hurst caught Durr in a guillotine. After failing to submit Durr, Hurst released the guillotine, and they returned to their feet. Hurst went for the takedown again and Durr came down on his back, as Hurst postured up to throw punches, Durr capitalized on it by submitting Hurst with a tight triangle. Hurst tapped quickly once the triangle was in place.
"I definitely expected a hard three round battle but I snagged the triangle early which was great, I just kept thinking 'Wow, I'm about to win!'" says Durr. When asked if he was concerned about Hurst's guillotine attempt, Durr smiled, "A guillotine? I have a good neck, that's not to say that I can't be caught, but I worry a little less about chokes then most fighters I think, I could feel it, he had it in, but it just doesn't faze me, I never felt in danger, just stayed focused on working." The January 7th, 2011 Strikeforce card at Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, TN was the culmination of three years of hard work for Durr and his coach, Ron Dayley. The Strikeforce card was divided into three sections with the preliminary Pro undercard fighting first followed by the amateur card culminating in the main event card which was aired live on Showtime. "It's really exciting to see a young fighter truly begin the climb, Steven was on the undercard and as an amateur but it's a great experience for him to fight on a show this size, and to win at an event like Strikeforce against a strong opponent like Hurst bodes well for his future," says Dayley.
Just a little over three years ago, Durr began his MMA training under Dayley at SSF Submission Academy and since then has gone on to win numerous titles. He currently holds the ISKA TN State 145 Title, recently defeating state ranked Chris Hall of Integrated Martial Arts in Lebanon, TN to attain the title. Hall is ranked number two in the state of TN and is the former state title holder. Durr is also The ABA 145 Champion, The SSF Invitational 145 Champion and the XMMA 145 Champion. Durr is currently ranked as the number one 145 amateur fighter in TN and KY by Around The Octagon. "When Durr came to SSF three years ago, he had absolutely no fight training, not even a wrestling background. He's a testament to what hard work and discipline can lead to when you commit," says Dayley.
The 18-4 record is impressive but upon further examination makes clear why this young fighter has gained a reputation for finishing opponents. Winning thirteen of his matches with submissions, three by TKO, and one by KO, only one win came by decision. All of his losses were by decision with the exception of one TKO when he stepped up to fill in for a teammate and fought at 170lbs in February 2009.
Durr plans to turn Pro soon, possibly within the next couple of months. But first he plans to defend his ISKA State title in Kingsport, TN on Cage Brawl Fighting Championship's much anticipated card. Information on seeing Durr defend his state title is available at www.cagebrawlfights.com.
For further results from the January 7th 2011 Strikeforce Challengers event please visit http://strikeforce.com.
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