Paul 'Semtex' Daley
Former UFC and Strikeforce veteran Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley (30-12-2) will look to make a big splash in the Bellator when he joins the promotions 2013 welterweight tournament.
Daley has one goal in mind, capturing the Bellator welterweight title, and with Ben Askren the current reigning champion, ‘Semtex’s’ cross hairs have fallen squarely on him.
Speaking to MMAFighting.com, Daley called out Askren questioning the former Olympian’s will as a “fighter”.
“As champion, you should want to prove you are the champion and try to destroy your opponent,” he said. “I don’t think think he has that ability or intention. I don’t think he has it in him to finish. For the past two years we’ve heard about him working on his striking, but we’ve seen zero to none of it. I don’t know if he’s lacking in confidence or he’s not a real fighter or what.
“Some people just ain’t fighters,” he continued. “I think he’s a great wrestler. No doubt he is. But I don’t think he’s a great fighter. If push comes to shove and he’s put in a fight, he won’t win. He’s fortunate his wrestling carried him this far. Put him in a real fight and we’ll see. Maybe he can have his shot stuffed, be elbowed and bleeding and grit out a win, and then I’ll give him his props. But from what I see so far, I think he’s bluffing.”
Daley debuted in the Bellator cage this past July at Bellator 72, finishing opponent Rudy Bears in the first round by TKO. In his last four matches, ‘Semtex’ is 3-1 with each match taking place with another promotion. The loss took place in March of this year under the Strikeforce banner, with a split decision loss to Kazuo Misaki.