This past weekend, former UFC, Strikeforce, and Bellator MMA fighter Paul Daley fought what he has stated will be his last professional fight. ‘Semtex’ eviscerated Wendell Giacomo with a series of lethal hooks in the second round of his main card bout at Bellator 281.
This win brought Paul Daley’s record to 44-18-2 and was his 35th win via knockout. Now at the age of 39, Daley has seen fit to hang up his gloves. However, he has stated that there are two fights that would make him return to MMA.
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Daley revealed that a rematch against former foe Nick Diaz would tempt him out of retirement, as would a bout against ‘BMF’ titleholder, Jorge ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal. He stated that:
“I don’t wish I can get back any fight in terms of changing what already happened. But, I think if I was to pick a fight to have a rematch, it would definitely be Nick Diaz or [Jorge] Masvidal. Because they’re the ones that have turned into pay-per-view stars and I could get the most money from.”
“Nick Diaz was a great fight and I beat Masvidal, and he holds the BMF belt, even though he’s lost his last fight or so. Those are the ones that if someone came to me and said, ‘What’s going to get you out of retirement?’, those two fights. That’s it, those are the only two fights that would pull me out.” (H/T BJPENN.COM).
Paul Daley vs. Nick Diaz 1
Paul Daley and Nick Diaz’s first fight is known for being one of the greatest MMA wars of all time. The two welterweights faced off under the Strikeforce banner in 2011 for the 170lb title.
The fight may have only lasted one round, but both men hit the canvas at various points. Diaz may have ultimately won, dropping Daley at the end of the round and forcing ‘Big’ John McCarthy to stop the fight, but Daley gave as good an account of himself as one could hope for.
Fans would certainly love to see these two veterans run it back in one last hurrah for both their careers. Check out the iconic first fight below: