Paul Daley out of Gamebred Boxing 4

Gamebred Boxing 4 is a killer night of boxing put together by Jorge Masvidal, who seems ready to tap into the MMA audience’s interest in the sweet science. While the likes of Jake Paul and KSI have been labelled “disruptors” for courting MMA fighters as boxing opponents, Masvidal is one of the sport’s biggest stars — and, having reached a non-exclusive deal with UFC Fight Pass to carry the event on April 1, has matched up some of the biggest names in UFC history.

Jose Aldo vs. Jeremy Stephens and Vitor Belfort vs. Jacare Souza are among the bouts expected, while former UFC and WEC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis faces boxing legend Roy Jones Jr.

One name that won’t be taking part, however, is Paul Daley. Originally announced for the Milwaukee-based event, visa issues have seen “Semtex” pulled from the card.

“Paul Daley is not on the card, and that’s because we had visa issues with the timing and stuff,” Masvidal told MMA Junkie Radio recently. “Paul Daley can have a visa to come here, but every time you’re working for a new company, like XYZ company. Now he’s going to fight for a new company, so we’d have to get him a visa. We weren’t able to quite figure that out, but that’s somebody we’re very, very interested in and will push hard to have on our cards. I’ve always liked Daley’s style. I actually got to compete against him myself, so it’d be fun.”

In place of Daley, Joe Riggs is stepping up on short notice to face Markus Perez at the event.

More than a million bucks per fight? Costa’s manager/girlfriend makes bold claim

Earlier this week, multiple outlets reported the news that Paulo Costa had signed a new deal with the UFC.

Now, his manager and partner Tamara Alves says that Costa is among the highest-paid athletes in the company.

“Paulo went from being one of the most devalued athletes to one of the most valued athletes in the UFC,” Alves told Ag. Fight recently. “I have no doubt that Paulo is the highest-paid Brazilian athlete in the organization today. I don’t know if you know any Brazilian athlete that is paid more than a million dollars per fight. I don’t, especially in non-title fights.”

“Your DNA is an abomination”

Manel Kape went scorched earth after Alex Perez pulled out of the pair’s fight at UFC San Antonio with the event already underway.

https://twitter.com/ManelKape/status/1639792023912828936

Cancellations happen all the time in MMA, though Perez has had worst luck than most. Still, Kape had better hope he’s not on the other side of this any time soon, or those words may come back to haunt him.

Perez’s camp gives their side

Perez teammate Vince Morales gave his side of what happened on Saturday.

“Not my place to talk about what happened with Alex. Scary stuff but hopefully it eases everyone’s minds that by the time the EMTs got there, he was together and speaking okay,” Morales wrote on social media. “Watch the slander.”

Not my place to talk about what happened with Alex. Scary stuff but hopefully it eases everyone's minds that by the time the EMTs got there, he was together and speaking okay. Watch the slander.

— Vince Morales (@vandetta135) March 25, 2023

Scorecard Snafu

While ref Frank Collazo was for some reason allowed to serve as a judge at UFC San Antonio following an embarrassing showing as a ref at Fury FC 76 a day prior, it was actually veteran official Dan Miragliotta turning in a puzzling 30-27 in the Andrea “KGB” Lee vs. Maycee Barber fight.

Barber picked up a contentious split decision win, and while there was a solid argument to her winning 29-28, not a single media outlet scored the fight 30-27 for Barber, per MMA Decisions.

Three media outlets actually scored the fight 30-27 for Lee. Miragliotta appears to be the only person watching (at least that we can actually verify) to score all three rounds for Barber, however.

Carla Esparza announces she’s pregnant

Congrats to former two-time UFC women’s strawweight champion Carla Esparza, who announced Saturday that she’s pregnant.

So we’ve been keeping a little secret for the last 14 weeks… we’re expecting! Baby Cookie Monster 🍪 Grand Entrance September 2023 🥰💙💗💙💗
Excited for this next chapter… and hoping to make my return early to mid 2024😉👊🏽 pic.twitter.com/rdYp9f2rh5

— Carla Esparza (@CarlaEsparza1) March 26, 2023

Once “Baby Cookie Monster” arrives, Esparza is aiming at a 2024 return. The strawweight was submitted by Weili Zhang in November, snapping a six-fight win streak — and costing her the title as well.

The post Sunday MMA Quick Hits: Daley Off Gamebred Boxing 4 Card, Kape Livid At Fight Cancellation appeared first on Cageside Press.

Daley (44-18-2) says he is. He certainly acted like it all fight week, talking about the emotions he’d no doubt feel on his final walk to the cage. But after knocking Wendell Giacomo out in a come-from-behind win on the Bellator 281 main card, Daley appears to have left the door open just a crack.

For one, he didn’t lay down his gloves in the cage. For another, well, he pretty much confirmed that the right deal could lure him back to fighting.

“It’s easy because I’ve been preparing for it,” Daley told members of the press following the fight, the 64th and potentially final of a career that began back in 2003, when asked about what it would be like to walk away from the sport. “If there was something interesting on the horizon, then maybe there’d be something that we could talk about. But there’s nothing there for me. I’ve just knocked out this guy, I’ve done it countless times before. Yeah man, just going to kick back on a beach somewhere and sip Mai Tais.”

So what, exactly, could there be that would get Daley talking about fighting again? He addressed that later in his media scrum.

“If it’s the belt, for seven figures, then obviously I would do that. And that’s something, I thought they might throw a swerve ball in, but like I say it has to be ridiculous money at a ridiculous venue. I don’t know how long the real champ’s going to be out for, but like I say the money has to be ridiculous. And the build-up has to be done properly, and not done in New York when we’re both from London, or England.”

While it was originally Michael “Venom” Page that was suggested to Daley, Logan Storley was the man who walked away with the interim welterweight title on Friday night. But regardless as to whether Daley fights again or not, he’s had an impressive career, and goes out — for now — on a high.

The fans have been right there with him throughout, something “Semtex” acknowledged as well. “I’ve been at the very high of the sport, and I’ve been all the way to the bottom. And the fans have never left me.”

Watch Paul Daley’s full Bellator 281 post-fight media appearance above.

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That he did so at home in London, England, and was able to cap off his career with another knockout in a thrilling come-from-behind win, made it all the more special.

After standing toe-to-toe with Semtex for all of 30 seconds, Giacomo went with the tried and true gameplan of tying Daley up, and hunting for a takedown against the fence. Daley fought him off for a while; when he did go down, he was right back up — but Giacomo climbed the back, dragged Daley down again, and got both hooks in. Having taken the back with more than half a round remaining, Giacomo went hunting for a choke, then transitioned to the top. Daley turned and escaped out, but his back was vulnerable again, and Giacomo took advantage.

This time, however, it was Daley who was able to reverse and get on top, sitting in Giacomo’s guard. He’d end up having to fight off a heel hook attempt, however, and failed to score much if anything in terms of damage.

Daley got some big shots off early in round two. But again, Giacomo responded by getting the fight to the ground, this time care of a body lock. As Daley looked to escape, Giacomo took the back; “Semtex” shook him off, at least briefly, but he was back on with hooks in as Daley was unable to get off his knees. Giacomo landed a few punches to the side of the head, then dragged Daley on top of him. Though a body triangle was clearly available, he settled for just keeping his hooks in, and that allowed Daley to spin and reverse!

The sudden explosion allowed Daley to get to his feet, and he began teeing off on Giacomo immediately, before Giacomo even regained his footing! Lefts and rights were simply winged by Daley at his opponent, and it was a right hand that toppled him — giving Daley the win in the final fight of his career!

A fitting end to an explosive career. @Semtex_170 #Bellator281 pic.twitter.com/4yoQwc7Uih

— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) May 13, 2022

Official Result: Paul Daley def. Wendell Giacomo by knockout, Round 2, 4:09

The post Bellator 281: Paul Daley Knocks Wendell Giacomo Senseless in Comeback Win to Cap Off Career appeared first on Cageside Press.

“Semtex” has long been one of the most explosive fighters in mixed martial arts, and a fan favorite as a result. But in spite of the anticipation from fans, Daley (43-18-2) is treating this one like any other fight.

“In all honesty, it’s just a lead-up to another fight, but I’m aware that on the night it’s going to be emotional,” Daley said during the Bellator 281 media day on Wednesday, later revealing that he intends to remove himself from the sport entirely. That, despite previously having served as an analyst for Bellator MMA.

“When I retire, I don’t want to be a guy that’s around the sport because I think those are the guys that have the temptation to get back involved. And those are the guys that come back and don’t do so well,” Daley explained. “When I remove myself from the sport, I want to be completely removed.”

“If you see me sat behind a desk talking, then it’s extremely lucrative,” he added. “Otherwise, I’m just going to sit at home and take my dog for walks and stuff like that.”

Speaking of lucrative, Daley recently let slip that he’d been offered a boxing match with Dan Hardy, only to turn it down due to their previous history. Hardy will now face off with Diego Sanchez, but it could have been “Semtex” opposite him in the ring.

“Who was filming me? I wasn’t supposed to mention that. But yeah, I had an offer to fight Dan, I’m not even sure if Dan knows but I have e-mail proof and text proof that I was offered a very lucrative opportunity to fight a former teammate,” revealed Daley. “But I said this in interviews before as well that I wouldn’t do that, because although Dan and I are not as close as we were at this stage, when we started out in the sport, we kind of grew together to a certain stage. And it’s like, even though you grow apart, you kind of still have that bond.”

Daley likened the relationship to going to elementary school with someone. “You might not see them for a few years, but you still have that bond from early on. So I wouldn’t want to fight him, but yeah, chuck me some more names, and some more money, and have it not so serious, and there’s an opportunity that I might compete outside of MMA. But realistically, I don’t see the money or the type of names that I want to fight being thrown my way. So yeah, this will be my last fight.”

Daley also let reporters know that he’d reached out to former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley about a potential boxing match-up, following his most recent bout against Jake Paul.

“I messaged Tyron directly after he got knocked out by Jake Paul, and he declined to take the fight saying that he wanted to get a rematch with Jake Paul. I don’t think he’s going to get that, but yeah I messaged him directly and he responded, he doesn’t want the fight.”

Watch the full Belltor 281 media day appearance from Paul Daley above. Daley faces Wendell Giacomo this Friday, May 13, 2022 as part of Bellator 281 at the SSE Arena, Wembley in London, England.

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On Tuesday, word of another fighter falling off the card made the rounds: Andrey Koreshkov is out of his fight with Paul Daley.

Instead of ex-welterweight champ Koreshkov, Daley (43-18-2) is now set to face Wendell Giacomo (9-2), who will be making his debut for the promotion.

U.K. paper Metro was first to report the news, which was later confirmed by Bellator MMA officials. No reason for Koreshkov’s withdrawal was given, but Daley confirmed to the outlet that the bout would indeed be his last. “This is going to be my last fight, I’m not going to go in there half-arsed,” he told the paper. “I haven’t had that motivation my last couple of fights.”

Daley had a three fight win streak snapped in his last outing, when he came up short against Jason Jackson. The unanimous decision loss put him at 1-1 for 2021, after a Comeback of the Year candidate against Sabah Homasi.

Giacomo, an LFA and Future FC veteran, has won his last two fights.

Bellator London/Bellator 281 will take place at the SSE Arena, Wembley in London, England on May 13, 2022. An interim welterweight title fight atop the card sees Michael Page up against Logan Storley. The following bouts have been reported for the event:

• Logan Storley vs. Michael Page – for the Bellator MMA interim welterweight championship
• Lyoto Machida vs. Fabian Edwards
• Denise Kielholtz vs. Kana Watanabe
• Paul Daley vs. Wendell Giácomo
• Luke Trainer vs. Simon Biyong
• Daniel Weichel vs. Rob Whiteford
• Oliver Enkamp vs. Mark Lemminger
• Kate Jackson vs. Elina Kallionidou
• Tim Wilde vs. Alfie Davis
• Andrew Fisher vs. Attila Korkmaz
• Charlie Ward vs. Alan Carlos
• Maciej Różański vs. Lee Chadwick
• Arunas Andriuskevicus vs. David Trallero
• Chiara Penco vs. Lanchana Green

The post With Andrey Koreshkov Out, Paul Daley Gets Wendell Giacomo at Bellator London appeared first on Cageside Press.

It appears he has his wish. On Monday, Cageside Press confirmed that Koreshkov vs. Daley is being targeted for May’s Bellator London card. Whoa TV’s Michael Morgan was first to report the news.

Koreshkov (25-4) smashed though UFC alum Chance Rencountre in just 38 seconds in the co-main event of Bellator 274. The spinning heel kick left Rencountre hospitalized and awaiting surgery to repair five broken ribs and a punctured lung. Immediately afterwards, Koreshkov called for a fight with Daley, citing their exciting styles as his primary motivator.

It would appear Daley (43-18-2) feels the same. The 39-year old “Semtex” has declared that his next fight will be his last, after seeing a three-fight win streak snapped by Jason Jackson last time out. If it is his final fight, on paper, it’s certainly an explosive match-up: neither Daley nor Koreshkov are exactly known for their wrestling.

Bellator London is set to take place on Friday, May 13, 2022 at the SSE Arena, Wembley in London, England. The event is headlined by a welterweight title fight featuring champ Yaroslav Amosov putting his title on the line against Michael “Venom” Page.

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At Bellator 260, “Semtex” took to the cage to take on #3 ranked Jason Jackson, in a bout that could have title implications at least for Jackson — and perhaps for Daley, if he ever opted to cut all the way to 170lbs. Friday’s fight, however, came at a 175lb catchweight, as had the last couple of Daley’s outings.

The pairing served as the co-main event at Bellator 260, the first fight back with fans for the promotion since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. They let themselves be heard as the bout unfolded.

Immediately following the opening bell, it was Daley with his back to the cage, taking big swings when Jackson moved forward. Both fighters stayed mobile, and Jackson was clearly wary of the power of the British striker. His own left jab, however, connected, no doubt getting Daley’s attention.

As the round crested the midway mark, Daley was throwing a jab to the body repeatedly. Jackson decided to mix things up, taking Daley down with seeming ease. From half-guard, Jackson attacked the body with punches and elbows. Daley defended with a kimura, while Jackson continued to work over the body of his opponent.

Round two saw Daley continue to throw his jab to the body. That set up an attack over the top, and a flying knee attempt that fell short. Jackson, knowing what worked in round one, landed a takedown much earlier this time out, with four solid minutes left in the round. Daley worked to a knee and tried to post up, but Jackson was heavy on the back, landing knees.

When Daley did regain his feet, he was immediately tasked with fighting off another takedown attempt. When Jackson finally completed it, Daley threw up a closed guard, but Jackson moved to side control while his opponent looked for a kimura. After Jackson was warned for blows to the back of the head, Daley used that kimura attempt to scramble, and wound up on top with just under a minute to go. But Jackson reversed, powered up, then planted Daley on his back once more.

Round three saw Daley likely in need of a finish, unless the judges had been overly generous to him in the opening round. A counter-right landed early for Jackson, and a takedown followed shortly after. It was not a welcome sight for the fans, but Jackson had identified a clear path to victory, and he was absolutely going to take it, boo birds or no. Daley had one last surge in the final minute thanks to the ref standing them up, but it was all for naught.

Official Result: Jason Jackson def. Paul Daley by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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“I think you’ll see me again,” Daley said during the Bellator 260 media day on Wednesday. “I will defend the 175lb belt on Friday, I will beat Jason Jackson, and then we’ll see what Bellator has to offer me.”

Of course, there’s no actual 175lb title in Bellator. Daley, however, has been fighting at catchweights of late, and seems to have found his groove. In the meantime, a quick turnaround had his spirits up, and was another factor in the decision to soldier on.

“The fact that I’m in here so quickly did help with the decision to continue in the sport of mixed martial arts. I’m happy I made the decision,” said Daley. “My ability, and where I’m at as far as my mental game and my preparation and everything, I’m just too good to move on.”

“Semtex” takes on Jason Jackson this Friday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. “I’ve been matched with him before previously,” Daley noted Wednesday. Meaning his opponent has already been scouted.

“I know about Jason Jackson, and he’s a great guy. A good fighter. Well-rounded, comes from a good team. Nice clean straight punches. Athletic. He’s a decent fighter, and he’s very much improved,” Daley stated in way of a breakdown.

At the same time, there is no worry on Daley’s part in regards to the outcome of the fight, despite Jackson’s recent string of successes. “Not at all, because none of the guys have been anywhere near my ability nor my experience at a high level,” explained Daley. “He’s bagged some good wins from the current crop of Bellator fighters and up-and-comers, but apart from Benson Henderson, he’s only fought up-and-comers if I’m correct. He’s not fought a guy like me before. And even in those fights, he’s winning by decision, split decisions. I’m not taking away from those results and how he’s won the fights, because he’s won the fights, but he hasn’t fought a guy like me.”

Watch the full Bellator 260 media day interview with Paul Daley above. The “175lb champ” throws down with Jason Jackson this Friday, June 11 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.

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“Semtex” will face Jason Jackson in the penultimate fight of the evening at the June 11 show, promotion officials announced via press release on Wednesday. It’s a relatively quick turnaround after a back-and-forth war with Sabah Homasi at Bellator 257 last month.

That win, which came after Daley (43-17-2) was knocked down and lit up early in the fight, was the third straight for the 38-year old. His past two fights have come at 175lb catchweights.

Jason Jackson (14-4) recently secured his fourth straight win, and is in the running for a potential title shot. His latest victory came against former welterweight title challenger Neiman Gracie, in Bellator’s first show of 2021, Bellator 255. In his current win streak, “The Ass-Kicking Machine” has defeated former UFC standouts Kiichi Kunimoto, Jordan Mein, and Benson Henderson along with Gracie.

Bellator 260 takes place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. on Friday, June 11. The main card will be broadcast live on SHOWTIME in the U.S.

The card is headlined by welterweight champion Douglas Lima, putting his 170lb title on the light against the undefeated, 25-0 Yaroslav Amosov.

The post Paul Daley vs. Jason Jackson Set as Bellator 260 Co-Main Event appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I didn’t respect his power, to be fair, coming into the fight,” Daley (43-17-2) admitted following a wildly entertaining brawl in which both men had been knocked down. “But I just said to him, there’s only one other guy I’ve ever been in there that punches as hard as that, and that’s Douglas Lima, and he’s the champ. I don’t know if I’m going to be in the sport long enough to have a rematch with Homasi, but he’s definitely championship quality.”

Daley appeared to be close to being finished in the opening round on Friday, after Homasi landed several bomb-like punches on the man known as “Semtex.” His thought process, such as it was, was that “I just knew I had to hold him. I just had to hold him for a couple of seconds.” Which was easier said than done. “I don’t know if you’re tried to hold someone when they’re punching you 100% in the head, it’s not easy.”

Between rounds, Daley’s corner told him to respect Homasi. “Give him the respect he deserves. Don’t be sloppy. I knew I was going to get hit, but I didn’t rate his power much.” Homasi definitely changed his mind on Friday. “I was wrong.”

The bout, scheduled twice before only to fall through on both occasions, went down at a 175lb catchweight. That’s a weight Daley would like to continue competing at.

“I hope so. I think tonight was an entertaining fight. I think people loved it, I felt great at the weight.” In the end, however, he expects that Bellator President Scott Coker will have the final say. “Scott’s the boss.”

After being hospitalized following a bad weight cut last October, Daley has good reason to want catchweight bouts. He had actually hinted at retirement following this latest fight, though it appears those plans are on hold for the moment. Still, Daley’s future in the sport remains a question mark. “I’ve put on so many great fights with so many great finishes and I just feel I don’t get the respect,” he stated. “I’m 38 years old, do I still want to put myself through this and not get the credit for it? That’s my attitude.”

“If people start giving me the respect, I start appearing on f*cking corn flake boxes and sh*t, doing all the interviews everybody else is doing, then I’ll stay in the game. Otherwise, I’ll take my two fights and I’ll go,” Daley continued. “But I’ve gave a lot to this sport. Entertaining fights, this is another one that people will talk about for a while. Give me my respect, I’ll stay in the game, I’ll give you a few more years. If you don’t, then I’ve gone.”

Asked whether the ability to fight at a catchweight moving forward might be a deciding factor in retiring or not, Daley actually downplayed the idea just a little. “No, because money can change that real quick,” he told Cageside Press. “You pay me more, then I’ll make the weight. Pay me more, I’ll fight 170bs, I’ll have a better camp, I’ll have better people involved. I had a new guy that helped me out with nutrition to get me down to 175lbs, and I thought he did a great job. If I give him time and the opponent’s right and everything else is right, I’m sure he could get me down to 170lbs no problem. It all depends.”

Watch the full Bellator 257 post-fight press conference with Paul Daley above.

The post Bellator 257: Paul Daley Wants Catchweight Fights, but “You Pay Me More, Then I’ll Make the Weight” appeared first on Cageside Press.