Paul Daley Signs New Bellator Contract, Accepts Joe Schilling’s Call-Out

So former Glory kickboxing champion Joe Schilling has called me out to fight in Bellator MMA he’s gonna fight at 170lbs up to 205 he says, now he’s made the full time cross over from kickboxing, signing a new multi fight deal with Bellator MMA..... Well i just signed a new deal, I’m ready @bellatormma . WW tournament, Joe Schilling, I’m ready #dontneedastrap @joe_schilling #foams

A post shared by Paul Daley (@semtex170) on Jun 29, 2018 at 7:38am PDT

Paul Daley has signed a new contract with Bellator MMA despite very vocal issues he’s had with the promotion lately, and already has an opponent in mind.

Fellow Bellator fighter Joe Schilling also happened to sign a new contract with Bellator this week, and suggested a move down to welterweight to take on the British striker, which Daley immediately accepted.

“Semtex” voiced his frustrations with the promotion while literally in the middle of fighting Jon Fitch at Bellator 199 in May. Fitch used his suffocating style of wrestling to nullify Daley’s lethal stand-up game en route to a unanimous decision victory, which enraged the brash kickboxer. During the third round of the fight, with Fitch controlling him on the floor against the fence, Daley began booing loudly at Fitch as well as at Bellator brass within earshot. Afterwards, Daley excoriated Bellator for the “boring” match-up and demanded a release from his contract with the Viacom-backed promotion. However, it seems as if both parties came to a resolution following a meeting between Daley and Bellator President Scott Coker.

Thankfully for Daley, Schilling isn’t a wrestler. Like “Semtex,” “Stitch ‘Em Up” has extensive professional kickboxing experience, with both men having competed for Glory, Bellator, and Bellator Kickboxing simultaneously over the past few years.

However, Schilling hasn’t had an MMA fight since a shocking knockout loss at the hands of Hisaki Kato back at Bellator 139 in June 2015. Instead, he has been competing for Bellator Kickboxing, where he’s currently riding a four-fight win streak.

The Daley-Schilling match is just one example of the movement and shakeup happening in Bellator’s 170-pound division, as the promotion just announced a 16-man tournament on Thursday. The welterweight grand prix is set to kick off on Sept. 29, with the likes of Daley, former champions Douglas Lima, Andrey Koreshkov, as well as divisional standouts Michael Page and Lorenz Larkin set to be included.