Bellator Welterweight veteran Paul Daley has announced his next fight will be his last, and it will take place at 175 pounds.
Daley made the surprise announcement on Thursday on his Instagram, writing “forever a samurai. But soon we will put the blade to rest.”
“After discussions and careful consideration with my family, it has been decided that my next fight [in Bellator] will be my last,” Daley wrote. “To be fought at a catch weight of 175lbs. Opponent and location to be confirmed. Health before Wealth, and NEVER COMPROMISE YOURSELF.”
Daley was ruled out of the Bellator 247 main event fight Derek Anderson on Wednesday after he suffered complications from weight-cutting and was taken to an area hospital in Milan, Italy, which hosted Thursday’s CBS Sports Network-broadcast Bellator Card.
Daley missed weight by 1.6 pounds for the bout, Daley noted that due to the heavy safety precautions, his issues were made public and he requested an ambulance. Despite a trip to the hospital, Daley stated that he still could have fought because he hadn’t received IV rehydration, which would have ruled him out of the fight.
An inspector from the athletic commission overseeing the event was the one to ultimately pull Daley from the fight, per Michael Mazzulli of the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation, which oversaw the event.
“What [Daley is] doing right now is not good for his body, plain and simple, and he needs to understand that he shouldn’t be doing this,” Mazzulli told MMA Fighting. “He’s going to have to go up in weight. It amazes me that he thinks it’s OK what he’s doing with his body at his age.”
Reached for comment on Thursday, Coker wrote via text, “We’ll talk to Paul in a couple days”
One of the sport’s greatest knockout artists, Daley is 42-17-2 and has an astonishing 31 knockouts on his resume. He said prior to Bellator 247 that he has three bouts remaining on his contract and could leave the promotion after a long tenure Bellator.
What do you make of Paul Daley’s Retirement announcement? What’s your favorite Paul Daley memory?