The MMA world has seen a lot of the legends of the last generation walk away from the sport over the last couple of years and it is time for another to ride off into the sunset. British MMA trailblazer Paul "Semtex" Daley won his last professional MMA fight this past Friday at Bellator 281 in vintage fashion. Daley is truly an MMA lifer and it was a bit bitter sweet to see him walk away from the sport. I found myself getting a bit emotional as the fight was going on, which is odd because it isn't like I'm some Paul Daley die hard or anything like that. Maybe I've just gotten soft as I've gotten older, but I find myself really rooting for the older guys to have that moment on their way out. Daley had said months in advance that this would be his final fight, so everyone knew as he was making the walk and then when the fight started he was getting wrestled very heavily. It felt like such a frustrating way for the fight to be going as Daley was being clinched and taken down and controlled. As the second round was ticking down to it's final minute, Daley was able to work his way back to his feet and unleashed a flurry of punches. He landed one really good body shot that caused Wendell Giacomo to drop his hands and then Daley landed a couple of massive shots with the last one putting Giacomo out cold. In what could only be described as vintage Paul Daley, it was the perfect way for him to end his career. I really started to feel the emotions after he was on the ground after the fight and he started to get emotional. As we've started to do regularly on this blog, we're just going to take some time to reflect on the career of Paul Daley as we wish him the best of luck with whatever he has planned for the rest of his life.
Daley ended his career with an impressive record of 44 wins, 18 losses, and 2 draws. Oddly enough, the draws came in consecutive fights in 2004-05. Before that, Daley started his professional career all the way back in June of 2003. He's fought in basically every major organization that you can think of. He made some of those early appearances in Cage Warriors and Cage Rage. He also made a stop in Pancrase for a moment. His first really nice run came over a variety of promotions, but he was able to win 6 in a row including wins over Duane Ludwig and Mark Weir. Not too long after that long winning streak, he got his opportunity in the UFC. He picked up knockout wins in his first two before losing a decision to Josh Koscheck. This is when he notoriously punched Koscheck after the bell, which caused Dana White to ban him from the UFC for life. This would have been the end for so many fighters, but Daley kept his career going and would eventually carve out a very solid role for himself elsewhere. After the ban, he fought Jorge Masvidal at Shark Fights 13. I can't say I saw that one live, but I would certainly want to see that fight now. He then started making regular appearances in Strikeforce. One notable knockout was against Scott Smith, which Ariel Helwani mentioned during his interview with Daley earlier this week. He would also have the absolutely insane 1 round fight with Nick Diaz, which is one of my first experiences with the sport of MMA. I remember seeing that highlight and wanting to find out more about this sport. Daley would eventually make the transition to Bellator where he would fight out the remaining 8 years of his career. Over what was a long and storied career, Daley would pick up wins over the likes of Duane Ludwig, Mark Weir, Martin Kampmann, Jorge Masvidal, and Scott Smith. He would also share the cage with other notable fighters including Jake Shields, Josh Koscheck, Nick Diaz, Tyron Woodley, Douglas Lima, Rory McDonald, Jon Fitch, and Michael Page. Paul Daley fought some of the best fighters in the world at 170 lbs over an almost 20 year career in this sport and he largely has his health intact. It is truly a testament to how good he was that even after 64 fights, he still is a very healthy man as he enters the next chapter of his life. Stylistically, Daley was known for his striking. He ran into trouble whenever he was forced into the cage against grappling heavy opponents, but if the fight was taking place on the feet, he was as dangerous as anyone who has ever stepped into the cage. His power and ability to find the chin with his left hand is second to none. His left hook was truly devastating and he was able to find it so consistently. I'm just glad he was able to end his career in really the perfect ending. So many of his fights ended with his opponent in a heap on the floor and it was fitting that he got to walk away with that image one more time. Not many athletes in this sport get to walk away with their final moment being a positive one, but Paul Daley was one of the lucky ones.
I usually like to go through my favorite moment or best memory of these fighters just incase they come across these posts so they can know how they effected me and so many others. This one is a bit of a weird one since Daley ended up losing the fight, but that round against Nick Diaz is what peaked my interest in this sport. If I had never seen that highlight, I really don't know how or if I would have even come across MMA if it weren't for that fight. If I came across MMA in a different context, maybe I wouldn't have been as interested. If for some reason Paul Daley or a member of his team or someone close to him were to come across this, he is a contributing factor to why me and so many others ever got into this sport to begin with. I hope the sport has done as much for him as his fights have done for so many. I say this every time I do one of these, but I can't help it. I always go back to the Michael Chandler quote that I doubt he actually came up with on his own, but he is where I heard it first: "it isn't about the wins and losses, but it is how you made people feel". Watching fights with Paul Daley on the card with my parents and siblings are some of my fondest memories that I'll remember long after my parents are gone. All of the fighters who were on those cards hold a special place in my life and I am genuinely appreciative of all the work they put in just to entertain us. At points in my life, I felt like I didn't have much to look forward to in life and part of what got me through the days was knowing there would be a fight card on Friday or Saturday night. Paul Daley is part of the reason that I even discovered this sport and I can't thank him enough for it.
Thank you Paul Daley for all of the memories and congratulations on a great career. I wish you the best of luck with whatever you have planned for the rest of your life. We all wish you the best of health as well and the MMA community will be happy to support you in whatever ways we can. Instead of asking for your thoughts, I'll do what has become customary in these posts and ask you to comment your favorite Paul Daley memory, moment, or fight. Good luck, best wishes, and thanks for everything Paul Daley. The sport will miss you, but we'll think back on your career fondly. Thanks to everyone for reading and have a good one.
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