Bellator and former UFC fighter Paul Daley gave his opinion on the situation that faces Conor McGregor and the UFC. As many people are aware, during the UFC 223 media day Conor McGregor attacked a bus that contained UFC fighters. This attack was aimed at UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and was a retaliation to Khabib’s actions earlier that week.
Paul Daley is no stranger to controversy. His relationship with the UFC ended on bad terms in 2010 after he attempted to throw a sucker punch at Josh Koscheck after the bell of their fight at UFC 113. After these actions, Paul Daley was released by the UFC and banned for life by the company.
During an interview with Ariel Helwani on MMA Fighting’s The MMA Hour, Paul Daley gave his thoughts on Conor McGregor’s situation.
“The UFC was in a different place then and it’s in a different place now, and a lot of where they are now is down to Conor McGregor. So if you’ve got someone bringing in money, and is raising the sport and your promotion to greater heights, then you can’t ban him for life because business is going to go bad for you. So I understand.”
“Yeah, really, he should be treated the same as I was,” he continued. “He should be banned for life. What he did as a guy with his profile in the sport and for the company of the UFC, he should be banned for life, if, for what I did, I got banned for life. But business and business and they need him, and I like Conor McGregor and I respect him, and I respect Dana’s choice. It’s a smart move.”
It’s unclear how the UFC will deal with Conor McGregor’s most recent antics. He must first attend his court date in New York on June 14.
Paul Daley’s relationship with his current organisation Bellator is deteriorating rapidly, with the fighter claiming that the organisation is taking him for an “idiot”. The chances of Daley returning to the UFC are massively unlikely, but the man known as “Semtex” admitted that he would be open to the idea of returning to the Octagon.
“I never really had bad feelings towards Dana, because I will make my way in this sport anyway, regardless of what barriers people put up for me because I am an entertaining fighter. People want to see me fight,” Daley said. “I feel like that’s something that I have up on some other guys who wouldn’t really get away with sh-t that I say because I entertain. I knock people out. I talk the talk and I walk the walk. I always put it on the line.”
Do you agree with Paul Daley’s comments, and would you like to see “Semtex” back in the UFC?
