It looks like Paul Daley’s dream return to the UFC won’t materialise after all. A lack of interest from the world’s top MMA promotion has led the British welterweight to re-sign with BAMMA just weeks after his departure from Bellator.
Daley was a hot property at 170 pounds in 2009 when he joined the UFC. He instantly made his mark with some head-turning knockout wins over Martin Kampmann and Dustin Hazelett, proving his worth as one of the most dangerous and heaviest-handed fighters in all of MMA.
But all that came crashing down after a moment of madness following a frustrated three-round decision loss to Josh Koscheck in 2010 at UFC 113. After the final bell, with the match clearly lost, Daley punched Koscheck, earning him an instant dismissal from the promotion.
Three years fighting for other prominent MMA organisations, such as Strikeforce, Bellator and BAMMA, followed, resulting in some successes and a recent four-fight winning streak.
However, the fighter has never been far from controversy. In December 2012, shortly after starting a new contract with Bellator, Daley was denied a visa to fight in the US and rumours, which the fighter denied, suggested it was because of criminal charges related to a bar brawl he was facing in England.
Those issues never got resolved with relations between the two parties worsening after Daley aired his grievances over Bellator’s contract demands.
Two weeks ago Bellator finally released him, with the MMA media abuzz with talk of a return to the UFC.
Daley himself wasted no time in expressing his desire to return to the sport’s top promotion. However, UFC president Dana White showed a distinct lack of interest in the idea.
Perhaps the fighter, with visa issues and a history of discipline problems, came with just too much baggage for the UFC. In any case, he has signed a new deal with BAMMA, where he last fought in 2011, saying (H/T MMA Mania):
“I’m extremely happy to sign with a premier European promotion… BAMMA provides exciting match-ups for hardcore fans, with a TV production that appeals to mainstream viewers. I’m aiming to bring my own brand of fight entertainment into households around the world the only way I, Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley, know how … knockout victories.”
No date has been set for his return to BAMMA, although his fight against an unnamed opponent for Russian MMA promotion, Legend Fight Show 2, will still go ahead in November.
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