Daley Likely Opponent for Diaz-‘Cyborg’ Winner

The hard-hitting Brit is being penciled in for a shot at the winner of the bout between Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz and Evangelista Santos, scheduled for Jan. 29 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.

Speaking with Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker on Thursday, Sherdog.com confirmed there was a strong possibility that Daley would receive the next shot at the title. MMAWeekly.com was first to report the likelihood of Daley challenging for the belt.

Before stepping up to face either Diaz or “Cyborg,” however, Daley must navigate his next fight, which is likely to come as an event headliner for the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts promotion. Currently, no information has been made available regarding Daley’s opponent.

Daley was last seen in the Strikeforce cage in December, providing a rude welcome to the welterweight ranks for Scott Smith. “Semtex” landed a devastating counter left hook that knocked Smith out cold in the first round of their Dec. 4 encounter in St. Louis.

Strikeforce signed the hard-punching welterweight after Daley was released by the UFC in May. Though the Brit had earned back-to-back knockouts in his first two fights with the promotion, he was cut following his loss to Josh Koscheck in a bout to decide the No. 1 contender for Georges St. Pierre's welterweight title. After being outwrestled and outpointed by Koscheck for three rounds, Daley took a swing at Koscheck’s head after the fight had ended, prompting UFC President Dana White to assert that Daley would never again fight for the organization.