Tag: Paul Daley

Paul Daley says May 13 Bellator show in London is his retirement fight

After nearly 20 years in the game, Paul Daley said his next fight will be his last.

After nearly 20 years in the game, [autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] said his next fight will be his last.

While he didn’t reveal an opponent, Daley (43-18-2 MMA, 9-5 BMMA) said Bellator’s May 13 event in London will be his retirement fight – in front of his home fans in the U.K.

“May 13 will be last one,” Daley said Monday on “The MMA Hour.” “It will be my retirement fight after many years in the game – the hours on the road, the hours in the gym have caught up with me. And now every day, I wake up with a bad back and I’m just tired. Most definitely (I’ll retire). I’ve put a lot of time in the sport, and I’m in a position to retire, fortunately. … I don’t want to be one of those fighters who’s getting knocked out all the time by the younger guys. I want to be the guy that goes out when I want to go out.”

Daley has been with Bellator for the past seven years and has gone 8-5 in that stretch. His losses in the promotion have been to Bellator’s elite-level welterweights: Former champions Douglas Lima and Rory MacDonald, former WSOF champ Jon Fitch and upcoming title challenger Michael Page, as well as Jason Jackson.

He’ll be 39 when he steps in the cage for the last time and said his retirement was supposed to be sooner.

“I’ve been planning for it for a long time,” Daley said. “I’ve had a lot of fights. Bellator has treated me well while I’ve been there, and I always knew it was going to be my last promotion. I’ve put things in place so that when I do call it a day, I can do so comfortably.

“(Sabah) Homasi was going to be my last fight, but Bellator put it in America and I don’t think the U.K. at the time was allowing shows … Then they offered Jason Jackson with title implications, so I took that fight and that didn’t go my way. I owe it to my fans and my family to have this last fight over here in the U.K.”

Daley made his pro debut in 2003. He mostly fought in England until 2007, when he deuted with Strikeforce. From that point on, more of his fights were in North America than England.

He signed with the UFC in 2009 and after knockouts of Martin Kampmann and Dustin Hazelett, he fought Josh Koscheck at UFC 113 in Montreal in a title eliminator. After he lost a decision, there was an in-cage altercation with Koscheck in which he hit him after the bell. UFC president Dana White said Daley never would fight in the UFC again.

After a one-off with Bellator in 2012, he moved to the promotion long-term in 2015.

Bellator 260 post-event facts: Yaroslav Amosov is Bellator’s 10th unbeaten champ

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 260, which took place Friday in Uncasville, Conn.

The promotion’s second title change of the year unfolded Friday in the Bellator 260 headliner at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

[autotag]Yaroslav Amosov[/autotag] (26-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) became the new king of the welterweight division when he shut down [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (32-9 MMA, 14-5 BMMA) for five rounds to claim the gold by unanimous decision and join the short list of fighters to get their hands on a belt without ever experiencing a loss.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 30 post-event facts to come out of Bellator 260.

Bellator 260 results: Jason Jackson decisions Paul Daley, takes smart approach with grappling

So what if it wasn’t exciting, Jason Jackson is happy he earned a big win over Paul Daley.

If you engage in brawl with [autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag], history has proven you could find yourself in a world of hurt. [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] knows this, and for that reason, he avoided any potential chaos at Bellator 260.

Jackson executed a smart game plan full of takedowns and grappling in their 175-pound catchweight bout as he defeated Daley by unanimous decision Friday night, with the judges rendering scores of 30-27 across the board.

The victory was Jackson’s fifth in a row, and it continued a them in his career of late – his seventh consecutive bout to go to a decision. Jackson is 6-1 in those matchups.

Fans at Mohegan Sun weren’t pleased with the action – or lack thereof. They booed throughout, but Jackson had a message for them.

“Hey, Connecticut, it’s not easy to do what me and Paul just did,” Jackson said. “We came here. We fought our ass off.”

Jackson (15-4 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) established the center of the cage and had Paul (43-18-2 MMA, 9-5 BMMA) on his back foot near the fence from the opening bell. Daley worked the body repeatedly with jabs until Jackson secured his first of several takedowns about halfway through. While he controlled the remainder of the round, Jackson didn’t do much with his top position – a theme throughout the fight.

In Round 2, Daley came out more aggressively, but Jackson put an end to that with a takedown about a minute in and controlled the round. Daley took the center of the cage to start Round 3, but Jackson again secured a takedown about 40 seconds in. He eventually worked to take Daley’s back, but Daley transitioned to his back, with Jackson laying on top of him. The referee stood them up with 1 minute remaining, which gave Daley a chance to score a knockout down two rounds. Daley threw big punches and went for it, but he missed a flying knee and fell right into another takedown to close out the round.

As unhappy as fans might’ve been, Jackson was not.

“I needed to prove to myself that I could go in there and fight the champ,” Jackson said. “This guy went five rounds with Douglas Lima. I know if I can go with him and beat him, I can beat the champion Doulgas Lima.”

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 260 results include:

  • Jason Jackson def. Paul Daley via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – 175-pound contract weight
  • Aaron Pico def. Aiden Lee via submission (anaconda choke) – Round 3, 1:33
  • Mark Lemminger def. Demarques Jackson via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 3:30
  • Kyle Crutchmer def. Levan Chokheli via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Justin Gonzales def. Tywan Claxton via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Bobby King def. Nick Newell via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
  • Lucas Brennan def. Matthew Skibicki via submission (anaconda choke) – Round 1, 1:54
  • Marina Mokhnatkina def. Amanda Bell via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Alex Polizzi def. Gustavo Trujillo via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:22

Bellator 260 faceoff video highlights: Douglas Lima, Yaroslav Amosov buddy up

Check out the ceremonial weigh-in faceoffs ahead of Bellator 260 at Mohegan Sun.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Bellator makes its return Friday, and the welterweight championship is on the line.

Bellator 260 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena with the main card airing on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie. Atop the bill is [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (32-7 MMA, 14-3 BMMA), who defends his title against [autotag]Yaroslav Amosov[/autotag] (25-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) in the main event.

The co-main event also features a 175-pound catchweight fight. U.K. MMA legend [autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] (43-17-2 MMA, 9-4 BMMA) faces [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 5-1 BMMA).

Following Thursday’s official Bellator 260 weigh-ins, the athletes came face to face for some traditional pre-fight staredowns.

Check out the faceoffs below, including Lima vs. Amosov, Daley vs. Jackson, [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Aiden Lee[/autotag], and more.

Paul Daley vs. Jason Jackson co-headlines Bellator 260 on June 11

Paul Daley’s wish to continue fighting at 175 pounds has been granted by Bellator.

[autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] will get his wish to compete in another 175-pound catchweight bout.

Daley (43–17–2 MMA, 9-4 BMMA) is set to fight [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) in the Bellator 260 co-main event on June 11 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Bellator officials announced the matchup Wednesday.

Daley’s past two knockout wins over Saad Awad and Sabah Homasi have come at a contracted weight of 175-pounds. The 38-year-old previously expressed his desire to continue competing in catchweight bouts, despite Bellator president Scott Coker’s desire to have him fight at welterweight.

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Currently No. 3 in Bellator’s welterweight rankings, Jackson will look to add another big name to his resume. Since rejoining the Bellator roster in October 2019, Jackson has gone 4-1 and is coming off back-to-back wins over former WEC and UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson and Neiman Gracie.

With the addition, the current Bellator 260 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Douglas Lima vs. Yaroslav Amosov – for welterweight title
  • Paul Daley vs. Jason Jackson

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Tywan Claxton vs. Justin Gonzales
  • Bobby King vs. Nick Newell
  • Lucas Brennan vs. Matt Skibicki
  • Amanda Bell vs. Marina Mokhnatkina
  • Demarques Jackson vs. Mark Lemminger

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Bellator 257 results: Paul Daley comes back for wild TKO win over Sabah Homasi

Paul Daley and Sabah Homasi had bad blood heading into Bellator 257, and their fight delivered fireworks as promised. 

[autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] and [autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] had bad blood heading into Bellator 257, and their fight delivered fireworks as promised.

Homasi got off to a fiery start, but it was Daley getting the finish as he rallied to TKO Homasi in the second-round of their 175-pound catchweight bout Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

The bout was a barnburner from start to finish, with wild swings in momentum. Homasi (15-9 MMA, 4-3 BMMA) came out in Round 1 throwing high kicks and leg kicks before he rushed in with a right hand that clipped Daley’s ear and stunned him. Homasi swarmed in for the finish, but with Daley (43-17-2 MMA, 8-4 BMMA) stumbling back to his feet and backpedaling, Homasi feel to the mat on a head kick attempt. That allowed a brief reset before Homasi landed a flying knee and dropped Daley with a follow-up punch on his landing. Homasi fell into Daley’s guard and employed ground-and-pound, but Daley managed to work his way back to his feet and ended the round strong. While in the clinch, Daley landed three knees to the face and dropped Homasi to the mat. The round ended with Daley in top position.

Given the frenetic pace of the first, Round 2 figured to be a case of who wants it more, and Daley seemed to flip a switch.

Daley dropped Homasi with a straight right hand just as he caught a body kick. Daley swarmed with hammerfists for the finish but couldn’t seal the deal. After Homasi got back to his feet, they settled in the pocket before Daley dropped Homasi a second time with a hard left hoook. Daley again pounced for the finish, and this time all Homasi could do was turtle up, forcing the referee to step in at the 1:44 mark.

The finish was Daley’s third consecutive win and second at 175 pounds, as prior to Bellator 257 he made it clear that he has no desire to continue fighting at welterweight. Daley, who hadn’t competed since October 2019, talked about potentially retiring in the lead-up to Bellator 257, but after his victory, he challenged anyone who wishes to meet him at 175, calling himself the “champion” of the “division.”

Homasi had a four-fight winning streak snapped.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 257 results include:

  • Paul Daley def. Sabah Homasi via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:44
  • Julia Budd def. Dayana Silva via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Julius Anglickas def. Gregory Milliard via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Steve Mowry def. Shaun Asher via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 0:55
  • Grachik Bozinyan def. Demarques Jackson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Raymond Daniels def. Peter Stanonik via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
  • Lance Gibson Jr. def. Marcus Surin via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Karl Albrektsson def. Viktor Nemkov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Mads Burnell def. Saul Rogers via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:08
  • Pedro Carvalho vs. Jay Jay Wilson def. Pedro Carvalho via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 0:53

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Bellator 257 faceoff video highlights: Paul Daley and Sabah Homasi aren’t friends

Check out the Bellator 257 competitors’ ceremonial faceoffs.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Bellator makes its return Friday as does the promotion’s light heavyweight grand prix.

In the main event, the 205-pound title will be on the line when [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Phil Davis[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) in a rematch of their three-round fight in November 2018. The fight doubles as a grand prix quarterfinal, which is one of two tournament bouts atop the card.

In the co-main event, former UFC contender [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) battles promotional newcomer [autotag]Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov[/autotag] (18-5-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

The most heated faceoff occurred, however, between [autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] (42-17-2 MMA, 8-4 BMMA) and [autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 4-2 BMMA), who have engaged in a feud that dates back over a year. Though they’ve been booked multiple times against one another, the fight has never come to fruition. The rivalry stems from a past altercation in a hotel lobby that involved Homasi’s teammate Dustin Poirier.

Bellator 257 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The entire card will be live and free on MMA Junkie.

Following Thursday’s official Bellator 257 weigh-ins, the athletes came face to face for some traditional pre-fight staredowns.

Check out the faceoffs below, including Nemkov vs. Davis 2, Anderson vs. Yagshimuradov, Daley vs. Homasi, Julia Budd vs. Dayana Silva, Raymond Daniels vs. Peter Stanonik 2, and more.

Paul Daley, Sabah Homasi detail past altercation involving Dustin Poirier that sparked feud

Ahead of Bellator 257, Paul Daley and Sabah Homasi reveal a hotel confrontation involving Dustin Poirier that sparked their ongoing feud.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – When [autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] and [autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] step on the scale Friday for the Bellator 257 ceremonial weigh-ins at Mohegan Sun Arena, jawing, expletives, and finger-pointing will likely ensue.

Where did the rivalry begin? Homasi (15-8 MMA, 4-2 BMMA), who called for the Daley (42-17-2 MMA, 8-4 BMMA) rebooking for well over a year, attributes his disdain to an altercation that took place in a hotel lobby involving his teammate and close friend [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag].

“I know how (Daley) is as a person,” Homasi told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “He likes to talk sh*t and all this stuff. He just ran up on me and my team in the lobby and started talking sh*t. (He) almost tried starting a fight with us in the lobby the first time we were scheduled to fight. He said disrespectful things to my coach, to Dustin (Poirier). That’s uncalled for, man. We’re going to go in there, and we’re going to fight.”

Homasi and Poirier have long been close confidants of one another. Despite his fame skyrocketing, Poirier always makes the treks to Homasi’s fights to serve as a corner and support. Homasi said he values everything Poirier does for him.

“(Poirier) is the man,” Homasi said. “He’s a good friend of mine. He helps me out in training. We train together all the time. He flies in to help me out. He comes with me to all my fights. I really appreciate him, especially with him being busy with all the sh*t that’s going on.”

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Though Homasi saw Daley as the aggressor in the situation, “Semtex” paints a different picture – one that extends even further back, prior to the hotel confrontation. Daley claimed at weigh-ins for that same event, Poirier initiated the trash talk in what was an otherwise cordial fight week.

“I thought, ‘He’s a cool guy,’ even though he was cornering the guy I’m fighting,” Daley told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “Then, I hear on the video he was shouting some sh*t off-stage. I thought, ‘Oh, that’s a bit of a snake. So I’ll have to ask him why he’s doing that.'”

That’s exactly what Daley said he did. The next opportunity that arose, which happened to be in the hotel lobby, Daley confronted Poirier and Homasi’s coaches. Daley said Poirier was taken aback by his approach and that’s when things escalated.

“He was on the defensive,” Daley said of Poirier. “Then, his corner were talking up, and I put them in their place and said, ‘Look, I (am) here on my own. There are four of you guys. If you want it, you can get it. That’s the type of guy I am. I’ll f*ck all of you up right now outside of the cage. That’s what it was.”

Neither fighter particularly likes the other, but neither views their Bellator 257 matchup as one that will get them overly emotional when they get inside the cage Friday. It’s all just part of the fight game and they’re both well-versed in “bad blood” matchups.

“I have to fight this guy,” Daley said, as he brushed off calling the fight a rvivalry. “I have to fight him on Friday, and I’m going to beat him up. That’s it.”

Homasi voiced a similarly unbothered sentiment, “I know his tactic and his tactic isn’t going to work against me. It’s OK. I know. I’m expecting it tomorrow at weigh-ins when we face off. I’m expecting him to run his mouth and whatnot. Whatever. Let him do what he’s got to do.”

The Bellator 257 main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MlIC9y_7Yc

Paul Daley sees catchweight fights as possibility but understands Bellator 257 could be it

Friday’s fight against Sabah Homasi might be the final time we see Paul Daley compete inside the cage.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – When [autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] steps inside the cage to fight rival Sabah Homasi at Bellator 257, it could be the final time fans see him compete in mixed martial arts.

A professional since 2003, Daley (42-17-2 MMA, 8-4 BMMA) has made career stops in the UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator, and beyond. After 18 years of weight cuts, his body isn’t responding like it used to. He finds himself in a conundrum. He’s too big for welterweight, yet undersized for middleweight, Daley described.

“One hundred and seventy-five pounds is my weight class,” Daley told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “You know, 170 pounds is too hard on my body. I’m not getting any younger, so unless the fights are 175 pounds or the fight is for a title, this is going to be my last fight.”

In September, Daley was scheduled to headline a welterweight fight against Derek Anderson, but was forced out due to medical reasons after he missed weight. Daley came in at 172.6 on the scale and was later taken to a hospital.

In July 2017, the Association of Boxing Commissions added super lightweight (163), super welterweight (177), super middleweight (195), and cruiserweight (225) to its list of recognized weight classes.

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Through his experiences, both recent and distant, Daley has become a proponent of adding more divisions to MMA. The opportunity for change is there, to Daley. It’s just a matter of more promotions accepting nontraditional weight classes.

“I’m not the biggest welterweight,” Daley said. “I’ve competed at middleweight earlier on in my career, but I think the jump between weights is a little bit too much. I think, for me anyway, this is my weight. It’s the push from 79 kilos down to 77, which is where I have the most difficulty. … Your body is not supposed to be down at this weight. Ideally, I’d like to keep competing at this weight whether they make a new weight class or not here at Bellator.”

Bellator 257 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

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Bellator 257: Make your predictions for Vadim Nemkov vs. Phil Davis

We want your predictions for Bellator 257, featuring champ Vadim Nemkov vs. Phil Davis in a title fight and light heavyweight tourney bout.

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 257 event in Connecticut.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Wednesdday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 257 main card staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator 257 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Make your picks for the fights below.