Paul Daley is competing in a kickboxing match at Bellator: Dynamite and needs an opponent. One of the top pound-for-pound kickboxers in the world would be more than happy to oblige.
Nieky Holzken, the former GLORY welterweight champion, issued a challenge to Daley in a YouTube video this week. He doubled down on the challenge Friday in an interview with MMAFighting.com.
“He said in an interview that he wants to fight a top-10 fighter,” Holzken said. “It’s a nice opportunity for both of us to fight each other.”
Daley, who is coming off a TKO win over Dennis Olson at Bellator 140 earlier this month, told Bloody Elbow recently that he thinks he can knock Holzken out.
“I think I can compete with Holzken, and if I land I will KO him,” Daley said. “It’s just his experience in the kickboxing game [is more than mine], he is so used to the timing and range etc. How do I see it going? I’m not sure.”
Daley, 32, is a decorated kickboxer, but has transitioned to MMA, where he has become a star. He’s one of the more popular names in Bellator and has also fought for the UFC and Strikeforce. The Brit is getting closer to a Bellator welterweight title shot, but is booked to fight a kickboxing match at Bellator: Dynamite, an MMA-kickboxing hybrid event, on Sept. 19 in San Jose.
Holzken, 31, will compete for the vacant GLORY welterweight belt against Raymond Daniels in the main event of GLORY 23 on Aug. 7 in Las Vegas. The Netherlands native has already beaten Daniels once this year, via third-round knockout, and has not lost in kickboxing since 2012. Holzken is one of the best kickboxers on the planet and has a burgeoning boxing career as well. He’s a heavy favorite against Daniels this time.
After that, Holzken said he’d be willing to come back to the United States and challenge Daley, though he is not sure if Bellator and Daley’s management would jeopardize Daley’s MMA star power in a tough matchup against a world-class kickboxer.
“If he’s a real fighter and he wants to fight me, then that’s not a problem,” Holzken said. “I think maybe his management or the Bellator management [would mind]. I don’t care. I just want to fight him like I want to fight everyone.”
Holzken said he has not considered a career in MMA, like fellow GLORY star Joe Schilling, who competes for Bellator.
“I am concentrating only on boxing and kickboxing, because you can only be good at one thing,” Holzken said. “You must not do three separated things from each other. If you do MMA, then kickboxing would go down. If you do only kickboxing, then the MMA would go down. I only focus on boxing and kickboxing. Now kickboxing and later boxing.”
There is nothing personal between him and Daley, Holzken said. Daley just represented another chance for him to prove he’s one of the best in the world.
“I only want to fight a lot,” Holzken said. “That was an open spot and if there’s an open spot somewhere I would like to fill that spot. No problem for me. I don’t care about getting famous or what, I just want to fight and give the fans what they want — spectacular fights, KOs and be the world champion for a long time. That’s what my main goal is.”
Holzken is so confident right now that he even said he could knock Floyd Mayweather out in the YouTube video.
“I don’t like to talk trash, but I like to say that I know for myself that I can beat everyone,” Holzken said. “That’s the only trash talk that I do. I know that I can beat anyone. If I’m 100 percent in my head, then I win from everybody.”