Tag: UFC return

Paul Daley Officially Enters the “Bargaining” Stage of His Post-UFC Career


(Oh, Paul, putting on nude puppet shows for strange old men? We never thought it would come to this. Photo via Esther Lin.) 

Paul Daley has seen some ups and downs since being ousted from the UFC, suffice it to say. Since sucker-punching Josh Koscheck after the final bell of their UFC 113 scrap, Daley has put together 10 wins alongside just 3 defeats under such promotions as Strikeforce, Bellator and the illustrious Shark Fights. Lately, however, legal/visa issues have prevented Daley from fighting in the US (where the real money is) and in fact saw him released from his Bellator contract just last week.

His back now against the wall, Daley has changed his tune in regards to his former promotion, thusly moving on to stage three of the five stages of grief: Bargaining. Daley first reached out to the UFC via his Facebook page:

Dana white “Paul Daley does not wanna be in the UFC”? Given the opportunity Dana , I would be right back in there, please just send me that contract.

Dana questioned about me again, Ariel saying he’s gonna get in touch with me, as we rally for a UFC return. Weather it happens or not, it’s kinda cool, that my recent performances and attitude has caught the attention of the big dogs, despite being on smaller shows.

Got an interview with Ariel Helwani tomorrow, seems talk of a UFC come back has gathered pace. Very important interview, as good a speaking with Dana himself…..oohh what to say?…Kinda nervous now….UFC Manchester? Diaz re-match, Sorry, I’ve grown up, I make weight…I’ve got a little son now…please help me feed him… 


(Oh, Paul, putting on nude puppet shows for strange old men? We never thought it would come to this. Photo via Esther Lin.) 

Paul Daley has seen some ups and downs since being ousted from the UFC, suffice it to say. Since sucker-punching Josh Koscheck after the final bell of their UFC 113 scrap, Daley has put together 10 wins alongside just 3 defeats under such promotions as Strikeforce, Bellator and the illustrious Shark Fights. Lately, however, legal/visa issues have prevented Daley from fighting in the US (where the real money is) and in fact saw him released from his Bellator contract just last week.

His back now against the wall, Daley has changed his tune in regards to his former promotion, thusly moving on to stage three of the five stages of grief: Bargaining. Daley first reached out to the UFC via his Facebook page:

Dana white “Paul Daley does not wanna be in the UFC”? Given the opportunity Dana , I would be right back in there, please just send me that contract.

Dana questioned about me again, Ariel saying he’s gonna get in touch with me, as we rally for a UFC return. Weather it happens or not, it’s kinda cool, that my recent performances and attitude has caught the attention of the big dogs, despite being on smaller shows.

Got an interview with Ariel Helwani tomorrow, seems talk of a UFC come back has gathered pace. Very important interview, as good a speaking with Dana himself…..oohh what to say?…Kinda nervous now….UFC Manchester? Diaz re-match, Sorry, I’ve grown up, I make weight…I’ve got a little son now…please help me feed him… 

I don’t know about you, but “Help me feed my son” is my favorite form of heartstring-pulling, right up there with “Being on enter reality show here is my destiny, you guys!” Now all Daley needs to do is videotape himself selling flowers on the freeway and his audition tape will be complete!

When questioned on the potential of a Daley UFC return during the UFC on FOX 8 media scrum, Dana White was shockingly pessimistic.

“I thought he hated this place,” said White. “I heard he couldn’t get a visa. And they’re real strict here now on visas. I thought he hated the UFC and said he’d never want to come back here and never wanted to fight here again. What changed?” ”I don’t know, man. I don’t think so.”

Daley appeared on The MMA Hour yesterday to further beg forgiveness, so head over to MMAFighting for the full scoop. While we’re all about second chances here at CagePotato, do you think Daley’s offense is simply unforgivable?

–J. Jones

It Begins (Again (For Serious This Time)): Josh Barnett Inks Multi-Fight Deal With the UFC

(We assume that this is how Barnett’s contract negotiation went down.)

Although we might have jumped the gun when we noticed that Josh Barnett’s profile had been added to UFC.com some weeks back — which honestly, can you blame us? — it finally appears that the perennial top heavyweight IS in fact headed back to the UFC despite rejecting his initial contract. For serious this time (via MMAJunkie/USA Today):

USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com today confirmed with promotion officials that former UFC heavyweight champion Barnett has signed a new multi-fight deal with the promotion and is expected to make his return to the octagon later this year. An official announcement is expected soon. 

“The Warmaster” has not competed since effortlessly strangling out some dude at the final Strikeforce event, but his addition to the UFC’s apparently shallow heavyweight division will undoubtedly make for some fireworks. Who would you like to see Barnett face first, Potato Nation? Personally, I’d like to see him rematch Nandor Guelmino, the scary-looking sumbitch who if I recall correctly gave Barnett one hell of a fight at…what’s that? You say Nandor *is* the guy Barnett effortlessly tapped at the final Strikeforce event? Joe Silva, I don’t know how you pull it off, you magnificent “mean little f*cker.”

To celebrate Barnett’s sure-to-be-triumphant return, we’ve compiled the definitive collection of Warbringer songs (and the Bolt Thrower song after which Barnett is nicknamed) after the jump. If you don’t understand why, well then you just don’t know Josh Barnett.


(We assume that this is how Barnett’s contract negotiation went down.)

Although we might have jumped the gun when we noticed that Josh Barnett’s profile had been added to UFC.com some weeks back — which honestly, can you blame us? – it finally appears that the perennial top heavyweight IS in fact headed back to the UFC despite rejecting his initial contract. For serious this time (via MMAJunkie/USA Today):

USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com today confirmed with promotion officials that former UFC heavyweight champion Barnett has signed a new multi-fight deal with the promotion and is expected to make his return to the octagon later this year. An official announcement is expected soon. 

“The Warmaster” has not competed since effortlessly strangling out some dude at the final Strikeforce event, but his addition to the UFC’s apparently shallow heavyweight division will undoubtedly make for some fireworks. Who would you like to see Barnett face first, Potato Nation? Personally, I’d like to see him rematch Nandor Guelmino, the scary-looking sumbitch who if I recall correctly gave Barnett one hell of a fight at…what’s that? You say Nandor *is* the guy Barnett effortlessly tapped at the final Strikeforce event? Joe Silva, I don’t know how you pull it off, you magnificent “mean little f*cker.”

To celebrate Barnett’s sure-to-be-triumphant return, we’ve compiled the definitive collection of Warbringer songs (and the Bolt Thrower song after which Barnett is nicknamed) after the jump. If you don’t understand why, well then you just don’t know Josh Barnett.





–J.Jones

Oh, The Horror: Is Renzo Gracie Headed Back to the UFC?


(Let’s just say that when Matt Hughes hears Chuck Berry, he dances to Chuck Berry.) 

At what point in a fighter’s career is it considered cruel and unusual punishment to allow them to compete? Sure, Randy Couture fought until he was 47, and Dan Severn is still beating up any homeless person that accidentally stumbled into the cage for a pint of Guinness and a pat on the back, but those gents are simply the exceptions that prove the rule. Guys like Ken Shamrock, on the other hand, are doing nothing more than shortening their lifespan each time they step into the ring, and for what? An attempt to recapture some former glory, or a feeling of youth? We know it damn sure isn’t in the hopes of recapturing a title, but then again, a passion is a passion, and if an obviously past their prime athlete wants to continue fighting at the detriment of their own health, who are we to say otherwise? It’s up to the promoters to cut them loose, not the fighters, and as we’ve seen in the story of Scott Hall, sometimes it is these very promoters who seem unable to make that distinction.

We’re rambling, of course, about the reports that BJJ/coaching legend Renzo Gracie is preparing for a second run in the UFC. At age 45.

Now, we’re not here to bash a freakin’ Gracie of all people for wanting to give the UFC another go, but this just seems like a terrible idea in every sense of the word.


(Let’s just say that when Matt Hughes hears Chuck Berry, he dances to Chuck Berry.) 

At what point in a fighter’s career is it considered cruel and unusual punishment to allow them to compete? Sure, Randy Couture fought until he was 47, and Dan Severn is still beating up any homeless person that accidentally stumbled into the cage for a pint of Guinness and a pat on the back, but those gents are simply the exceptions that prove the rule. Guys like Ken Shamrock, on the other hand, are doing nothing more than shortening their lifespan each time they step into the ring, and for what? An attempt to recapture some former glory, or a feeling of youth? We know it damn sure isn’t in the hopes of recapturing a title, but then again, a passion is a passion, and if an obviously past their prime athlete wants to continue fighting at the detriment of their own health, who are we to say otherwise? It’s up to the promoters to cut them loose, not the fighters, and as we’ve seen in the story of Scott Hall, sometimes it is these very promoters who seem unable to make that distinction.

We’re rambling, of course, about the reports that BJJ/coaching legend Renzo Gracie is preparing for a second run in the UFC. At age 45.

Now, we’re not here to bash a freakin’ Gracie of all people for wanting to give the UFC another go, but this just seems like a terrible idea in every sense of the word. For starters, Gracie has been inactive for over two years. Secondly, the last time he did step into the octagon, he made Matt Hughes look like Mirko Cro Cop circa 2005, getting picked apart on the feet until getting mercifully put out of his misery late in the third round. And the fact that he looked completely gassed en route to that TKO loss doesn’t bode well either. For Christ’s sake, Gracie’s last legit win came all the way back in December of 2006 when he scored a split decision over fellow IFL coach Carlos Newton.

But despite all of this, Gracie told MMAJunkie that he was “getting ready to fight again,” stating:

I have a six-fight contract with no predetermined time frame. I still have five fights to go, so I plan to jump back into it. I love this sport. The day that a promoter won’t book me to fight, even for free, that’s when I’ll quit.

Well, if that is truly Gracie’s stance on the matter, then we’d like to wish him the best of luck. But does he honestly expect to compete FIVE MORE TIMES in the sport’s highest promotion? That’s a freaking death sentence.

We can’t even believe we’re asking this, but who, if anyone, would you like to see Gracie face if he is actually called back to the UFC? Put us in the camp that wants to see the UFC resign Pat Militech and have these two square off once again, because why not at this point?

Hell, they could set up a whole senior’s league if they want. Just think about it: pay-per-views could start airing at 3 p.m., and the participants could fight for a year long membership to the Old Country Buffet. Kazushi Sakuraba could reignite and old rivalry, and we could finally be treated to a trilogy match between Tank Abbott and Scott Ferrozzo. Sounds like a plan, does it not?

–J. Jones