Bellator President Scott Coker said his highly publicized meeting with Paul Daley was “fantastic,” and the two are now working on a new deal via his management.
Coker aims to sign Daley (40-16-2 MMA, 6-3 BMMA) to a new deal and added he’d like the veteran welterweight for as many as six fights.
“Paul’s a fighter that I’ve always believed in, and he’s always delivered,” Coker today told MMAjunkie. “That’s the kind of fighter that will be welcome on Bellator’s roster any time.”
Until very recently, it looked like Daley wanted to be on any other roster than the Viacom-owned promotion. The British slugger railed against Bellator in several interviews, leading to a back-and-forth in the media.
In January, Daley asked to be released from his contract with the promotion. When the request was denied, he contemplated taking a break from the sport after finishing out his career after fulfilling two remaining bouts on his deal.
After a lopsided loss to Jon Fitch at Bellator 199 that saw him go on a bizarre in-cage rant against the promotion, Daley said he was “done” after one more fight.
But Coker vowed to patch things up, and he said the two cleared the air with a meeting in London after Bellator 200.
The promoter said much of the conversation revolved around lines of communication. Daley had complained about being unaware of Bellator’s plans for his career, so Coker asked the fighter to call him directly with any issues or problems.
Coker said Daley eventually apologized for his words and said his outbursts were motivated by the desire to stay busier in his career, adding kickboxing bouts to those in the cage.
“I said let me talk to (your manager), and let’s get on the same page,” Coker said. “Let’s work it out. That’s where we left it.”
Daley did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but MMAjunkie will update the story if one arrives.
Although not always successful, Daley continually has delivered entertaining performances in the cage. He was routed by current welterweight champ Rory MacDonald, only to turn around and spoil the highly anticipated debut of UFC import Lorenz Larkin. A flying knee KO of Brennan Ward added another piece to his highlight reel.
All the while, Daley has feuded with welterweight star Michael Page(13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA), which also factored into his rocky relationship with Bellator. In earlier interviews, Coker claimed he offered Daley a date with “Venom” Page and was turned down; Daley said Coker was “bitter” and “just wanted the Page fight on his timing.”
Now, the possibility of getting the rivals in the cage seems closer than ever. After Page’s brilliant knockout of David Rickels at Bellator 200, Coker said they’ll address the topic when Page wraps up a scheduled boxing match on June 15. Daley, though, is on board whenever they can make the fight happen.
“He said he would fight him any time we wanted to,” Coker said. “If they both want to do this fight, we will definitely do it.”
https://mmajunkie.com/2018/06/positive-meeting-scott-coker-new-deal-paul-daley-bellator
Coker aims to sign Daley (40-16-2 MMA, 6-3 BMMA) to a new deal and added he’d like the veteran welterweight for as many as six fights.
“Paul’s a fighter that I’ve always believed in, and he’s always delivered,” Coker today told MMAjunkie. “That’s the kind of fighter that will be welcome on Bellator’s roster any time.”
Until very recently, it looked like Daley wanted to be on any other roster than the Viacom-owned promotion. The British slugger railed against Bellator in several interviews, leading to a back-and-forth in the media.
In January, Daley asked to be released from his contract with the promotion. When the request was denied, he contemplated taking a break from the sport after finishing out his career after fulfilling two remaining bouts on his deal.
After a lopsided loss to Jon Fitch at Bellator 199 that saw him go on a bizarre in-cage rant against the promotion, Daley said he was “done” after one more fight.
But Coker vowed to patch things up, and he said the two cleared the air with a meeting in London after Bellator 200.
The promoter said much of the conversation revolved around lines of communication. Daley had complained about being unaware of Bellator’s plans for his career, so Coker asked the fighter to call him directly with any issues or problems.
Coker said Daley eventually apologized for his words and said his outbursts were motivated by the desire to stay busier in his career, adding kickboxing bouts to those in the cage.
“I said let me talk to (your manager), and let’s get on the same page,” Coker said. “Let’s work it out. That’s where we left it.”
Daley did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but MMAjunkie will update the story if one arrives.
Although not always successful, Daley continually has delivered entertaining performances in the cage. He was routed by current welterweight champ Rory MacDonald, only to turn around and spoil the highly anticipated debut of UFC import Lorenz Larkin. A flying knee KO of Brennan Ward added another piece to his highlight reel.
All the while, Daley has feuded with welterweight star Michael Page(13-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA), which also factored into his rocky relationship with Bellator. In earlier interviews, Coker claimed he offered Daley a date with “Venom” Page and was turned down; Daley said Coker was “bitter” and “just wanted the Page fight on his timing.”
Now, the possibility of getting the rivals in the cage seems closer than ever. After Page’s brilliant knockout of David Rickels at Bellator 200, Coker said they’ll address the topic when Page wraps up a scheduled boxing match on June 15. Daley, though, is on board whenever they can make the fight happen.
“He said he would fight him any time we wanted to,” Coker said. “If they both want to do this fight, we will definitely do it.”
https://mmajunkie.com/2018/06/positive-meeting-scott-coker-new-deal-paul-daley-bellator
