Less than a week ago, welterweight Paul Daley’s management team announced that he had been released from his contract by Strikeforce. According to the statement, Daley’s release was at the fighter’s request. Daley’s time without a promotion to fight under came to an end today when he signed with Bellator.
Upon his release, Daley stated, via MMAJunkie.com, “I’m happy that Strikeforce has granted my request to be released from their roster as I found it difficult to fight so infrequently.” Daley signed with Strikeforce a few months after he was abruptly released from the UFC after sucker punching Josh Koscheck in the back of the head following UFC 113.
Daley fought with Strikeforce four times, putting together a promotional record of 1-3. His last bout with Strikeforce took place on March 3, 2012. In that bout Daley suffered a split decision loss to Kazuo Misaki. While under the Strikeforce banner, Daley was able to fight with other promotions, which he did three times, going 3-0 in those bouts.
Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said, via the organization’s website,
“I’ve been a ‘Semtex’ fan for years. He’s an incredibly explosive fighter who is magic to watch inside the cage. So, when the opportunity presented itself to join forces with Paul, it was a simple decision to make. Paul’s one of those fighters I’ve always intentionally stayed home to watch and now I can watch him cageside at Bellator.”
Daley will debut with the organization at Bellator 72, which is scheduled to take place on July 20 at the Sun Dome in Tampa, FL. No opponent has been named for Daley.
Over the course of his career Daley has assembled a professional record of 29-12-2.
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