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Video: Paul Daley Talks Visa Issues, Bellator Tourney and More
By: Sherdog.com Staff
Bellator welterweight Paul Daley talks to Fighters Only about a variety of topics in the video below:
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Video: Bellator 72 Highlights
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Bellator Thanks Zuffa for Releasing Paul Daley
By: Sherdog.com Staff
Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney, on “Beatdown,” discussing Bellator’s signing of Paul Daley:
“I’m forever thankful to Zuffa relative to Paul Daley. I’m thankful they gave him the release. I’ve been a ‘Semtex’ fan for years. If you like mixed martial arts and you like explosive fights in the cage and you like guys who bring the fight, Paul Daley has got to be up in your top-10 list. Win or lose, he doesn’t know how to have a boring fight. … As soon as that opportunity came up and he actually got the release, we moved on that immediately. I think that’s a no-brainer. He’s been very vocal and very articulate about what happened, about the misstep that he had, very public about it and … I think, spoken very eloquently about it. I’m just thrilled to have him under the banner.”
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Sherdog Vault Photo of the Day
By: Sherdog.com Staff
British welterweight Paul Daley -- pictured walking away from Jorge Masvidal after their three-round scrap at Shark Fights 13 in Amarillo, Texas -- turns 29 years old today, the same number of wins on his record (29-11-2). (Photo by Dave Mandel, 2010.09.11)
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Woodley: Daley Won’t Look Me in the Eye
By: Sherdog.com Staff
Tyron Woodley (Pictured), on “Beatdown,” discussing his bout Saturday against Paul Daley:
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“He can talk whatever he wants to talk, but he doesn’t believe it. He won’t even look me in the eye when he shakes my hand. I judge a man by what he does, not by what he says because a mouth can say anything. It’s going to be an ugly fight. I’m going to try to wear his butt out as many ways as I can. If it ends in a TKO or knockout, whatever, so be it, but at the end of the day, I’m going to get the victory.”
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The Turning Point: Diaz vs. Daley
By: Chris Nelson
Nick Diaz is a finisher. | File Photo
The vaunted chin of Nick Diaz survived its most onerous test of Diaz’s reign as Strikeforce welterweight champion Saturday night, while another of the Californian’s hallmarks ensured that he left San Diego with gold intact.
Diaz and challenger Paul Daley put forth the type of vicious firefight most expected inside the Valley View Casino Center, but the confrontation truly began on Friday, when the notorious trash-talkers exchanged epithets at the official weigh-ins. The tension was evident immediately before the bout, when Daley grinned at Diaz as referee John McCarthy gave final instructions, evoking further verbiage from the titlist.
Five seconds into the bout, Diaz was into his usual routine, inching gingerly forward and chatting with Daley while offering up his jaw to the British slugger. Backing Daley into the fence, Diaz popped his challenger with a right jab, then hurled a left to the body. Early in the round, the sequence took little effect; in the end, it proved Diaz’s best friend. Read more -
SRN: Coker & Alvarez
By: TJ De Santis
"The Savage Dog Show" and "Beatdown" radio shows returned to The Sherdog Radio Network Wednesday. Guests included Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker and Bellator Lightweight king Eddie Alvarez.
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Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker joined myself and Jason Probst today on "Beatdown" for nearly 25 minutes to discuss the sale of Strikeforce to Zuffa. Coker addresses the events leading up to the sale, what the purchase means for Strikeforce, and how his roster of fighters feels the decision. Also, Coker touches on the relationships with Paul Daley, Showtime, and others going forward.
Greg and Jeff spent their broadcast day chatting with Eddie Alvarez. The Fight Factory produce looks to defend his Bellator Lightweight title against tournament champion Pat Curran on April 2nd. Alvarez talks about his place in Bellator, mixed martial arts, and what he has been doing with his off time.
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UFC/Strikeforce Postmortem: Judge Dread, Knockouts
By: Jake Rossen
Leonard Garcia file photo: Sherdog.com
Among Mike Goldberg’s usual duties -- sponsor plugs, broadcast generalship, tanning -- is reciting the standard “Rules of the Octagon” narration over a graphic, which states points will be awarded “based on striking, grappling, aggression, and Octagon control.” At 10 seconds in length, this will never be mistaken for an instructional video, but it’s become very obvious that Nevada judges in attendance Saturday haven’t even bothered with that much.
After handling Leonard Garcia for three rounds, pushing Garcia backward, landing while Garcia whiffed in open-mouthed “offense” and even taking a round with a conceivable 10-8 work effort, two judges ignored Nam Phan and scored the bout 29-28 Garcia. (The third saw it 30-27 Phan, cementing his status as human with two functioning corneas.) It stands next to New Coke, “The Phantom Menace” and the Hula burger as one of the worst decisions of all time.
In typically boorish bureaucratic fashion, these judges will never be asked to explain their scorecard, will never be asked to provide evidence of their competency, and will probably not be reprimanded in any meaningfully way -- all expected outcomes of virtually every other botched job on the planet.
Nothing can suffocate the enthusiasm of fans more quickly than something purported to be “As Real as it Gets” burdened by the inexplicable presence of officials who use a fictitious set of standards to oversee fights. Athletic commissions are assumed to be competent; as we saw with Chael Sonnen’s hearing Thursday, some members can’t even tell the difference between a mixed martial artist and a boxer. At this point, it’s becoming impossible to tell the difference between a fight judge and a brick. Read more -
UFC 113 Post-Mortem: Rua’s Return, Daley Unforgiven, and More
By: Jake Rossen
Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
This is what makes fighters a different breed than the rest: seven weeks after being sedated and cut open for an appendectomy, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua went back into the gym and prepared for a fight that was already the most important of his life. Instead of making excuses, he delivered the first knockout loss of Lyoto Machida’s career, earned a UFC light heavyweight championship, and eradicated the memory of poor performances. It’s a pretty good example of the patient making a successful recovery.
Even though he had all his organs, Machida has nothing to be ashamed of: he canned good fighters in Rashad Evans, Tito Ortiz, and Thiago Silva, and could very well beat anyone else in the division. (Nobody’s kickboxing is more dangerous than Rua’s.) He also holds the distinction of being the only man in the past three years to defend the 205 lb. title at least once. The fact that it’s changed hands five times since 2007 is a strong case for that belt being the most heavily disputed in the sport.
But his future is unclear. Part of Machida’s appeal was the mysticism he brought into the Octagon -- the puzzle of being a traditionalist in a sea of biker-gang tough guys. Now that Rua has proved pressure is a potential solution, Machida can no longer be sold as an anomaly. Flaws in his system have been exposed. If people tolerated his disciplined approach because they were curious to see him figured out, that appeal is gone. It is up to him whether the return of his family’s karate will be as compelling an attraction as its emergence. Fortunately, most classic martial arts stories revolve around revenge. Read more -
Poll: Kos vs. Daley Outcome
By: Mike Fridley
The map below displays regional data for the current poll. Refresh (F5) to update:
