Paul Daley’s Plans for a ‘Very Short Night’

Paul Daley has won nine of his 10 fights over the past four years, eight of them by knockout, but a shot at a major MMA championship has thus far eluded him. He hopes that changes soon.

“Semtex” will meet former Bellator MMA welterweight titleholder Douglas Lima in the Bellator 158 headliner on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London. They were originally supposed to lock horns in February 2015, but when Lima, champion at the time, was forced to withdraw with a knee injury, Daley was left out in the cold. Never one to allow situations out of his control to dictate his plans, the Brit continued to cut down every opponent put in front of him.

“It was frustrating when Lima had to pull out with that injury,” Daley told Sherdog.com, “but I know I’ll eventually have my chance at the title. All I can do is keep fighting these guys and knocking them out. I can’t allow that stuff to distract me from my goal, because if I lose, then I won’t have a chance to win the Bellator championship.”

When Daley’s original dance partner for Bellator 158, longtime rival Josh Koscheck, bowed out of their highly anticipated rematch, “Semtex” wanted to stay busy against a high-level contender -- a victory over whom might result in a coveted title shot. He did not have to look far.

“He’s a fighter I requested,” Daley said. “I have a short list of fighters I can pick, and Douglas Lima is the guy I picked. I think it’s a very interesting fight, and it’s one that the crowd will love. I think he’s a very exciting fighter, personally. Without saying too much, I think he’s a fighter I can easily beat, but I like the fact that he’s dangerous.”

The main event with Lima is expected to produce fireworks. Most view the Brazilian as the favorite because of a more well-rounded set of tools -- an idea at which Daley scoffs.

“The people in my camp and those close to me know what I’m capable of,” he said. “Everybody thinks a million percent that I’m going to knock him out with ease, but there is this peculiar underlying thing with the MMA media and fans; they think this is some sort of really dangerous fight for me, that he’s going to win. This is motivating me so much, because I’m like, ‘You’re overlooking me so much.’”

Logic indicates that Lima will need to drag the fight to the ground in order to maximize his chances. Daley is a different animal on the feet, an extraordinary striker with a propensity for highlight-reel knockouts.

“He’s got good power and he’s got a good kicking game; that’s about it,” he said. “Do I think he’s as powerful a striker as me? No, I do not. He has a lot of KOs, but does he have that great one-punch power? I’m not convinced. He’s got a great high kick that’s fantastic. He’s got a powerful right hand, but he has to wear the guys down with a few shots before he can take them out.”

Therein lies the difference between them, according to Daley.

“When you look at my knockouts, my opponents are usually fresh,” he said. “Normally, early on when I hit you, you’re out. That’s it. There’s no coming back. There’s no accumulation of punches for Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley. You’re put out cold ... but, yes, he’s a good striker.”

Daley believes he can deal with whatever Lima brings to the table on the feet and points to a long track record as evidence.

“Most definitely I can take his power,” he said. “I have one TKO [loss] on my record, and I could have continued if I had a rest period. That fight was against Nick Diaz with only a few seconds remaining in the round. My other TKO loss, if you want to call it that, came a long time ago when I injured my thumb. I’ve competed at an extremely high level in kickboxing and have taken on world-class strikers, the absolute the best there is.

“I’ve had to grit it out; I’ve had to survive,” Daley added. “I’ve taken their best shots, and I’ve come back and won those fights. I’ve taken on the best kickers imaginable, and people think [expletive] Lima is going to [compare] to those guys? I took on Mohammed Ghaedi Bardeh, this tough Iranian, in K-1 Max, and I took some horrendous kicks to the body and head, but I gutted it out and still won the fight.”

Daley doubts Lima can succeed where others have failed.

“Lima has not been tested,” he said. “When he stops beating up his opponents, he starts getting beaten. He turns it into a wrestle-fest like when he fought Ben Askren. He can’t do that with me. If he chooses to stand with me -- or when I force him to stand with me -- it’s going to be a very short night for him.”