Paul Daley criticizes rival Josh Koscheck, seeks rematch 'before he changes his mind'

Paul Daley

Paul Daley’s interest in a rematch with Josh Koscheck continues to wane.

Daley (37-13-2 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) knows a second fight years after his unanimous decision loss to Koscheck (17-10 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at UFC 113 in May 2010 is perhaps the most significant fight available, but he wouldn’t be surprised if it never came to fruition, he said.

With both fighters contracted to Bellator, the organization seemingly put the wheels in motion to set up the grudge match when Daley and Koscheck were booked in separate matchups for Friday’s Bellator 148 event.

Bellator 148 takes place in Koscheck’s hometown of Fresno, Calif., at Save Mart Center. But unfortunately, “Kos” was forced off the Spike-televised card less than a month out due to an injury. Daley meets Andy Uhrich (11-5 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) in a welterweight main event.

The plan to position Daley and Koscheck on the same card to push toward a rematch was solid in theory, but once again the unpredictable nature of the sport reared its ugly head. Daley did not hesitate to criticize Koscheck for the withdrawal.

“I’ve never pulled out a fight in my whole career due to injury, especially in my home town. Bellator went through a lot of effort to put on this event and build toward our fight,” Daley told MMAjunkie. “Whether it was a training injury or he lost heart or he’s scared of losing again to a lesser opponent. But for me, an English fighter to fly over to California to headline a card in his home town, it is pretty crazy. Koscheck’s fans and friends should be asking him why he’s not representing Fresno in this main event.”

At this point, Daley said he’s not holding out hope for the fight to happen. Koscheck has suffered five consecutive losses dating back to 2012 and at 38 years old is likely to be hindered by every injury. Koscheck teammate Chris Honeycutt said “The Ultimate Fighter 1” veteran will return to the cage in the future, but Daley said he’s no longer clinging to the fight.

Although a bout with Koscheck would be a promotable matchup, Daley said there’s more relevant opponents for him in Bellator, and that includes 170-pound champion Andrey Koreshkov.

“I would like to see Koscheck win a fight. I know he’s been in there against top competition like current champions and former champions and has proven himself a lot in the past with solid wins, but I was doing fine without Koscheck,” Daley said. “Obviously it’s a big fight for Bellator it will do great for me financially, but I was comfortable. I’ve got plenty of people to fight. There’s a title fight with Koreshkov. But now the fight definitely needs to be made, and made soon before he changes his mind.”

Daley can criticize Koscheck, but said his talk will be deemed meaningless unless he holds up his side of the bargain and continues to win. That means getting past another unheralded opponent in Uhrich, a situation Daley has become comfortable with over the course of his career.

“These fights are very dangerous because these guys are the underdog and are going to show up as the best version of the fighter they are. The fear of getting knocked out causes them to train harder,” Daley said. “When you have someone like me that knocks people out an extremely high percentage of the time, that is a nervous position to be in and is going to motivate anyone to train harder. I always know I’m in for a tough fight because of that fact.

“People think just because I’m fighting no-name guys that I’m not prepared. I’m prepared for the toughest of fights and he’ll find that out. I hope he doesn’t think I’m slacking because it will be quick work.”

Whether the fight with Uhrich finally set up the rematch with Koscheck or leads to different opportunities, Daley said it’s absolutely crucial he leave the cage at Bellator 148 with another victory on his record.

“I’m ready for anybody and ready for the biggest, baddest test out there. They can put anyone in there and it doesn’t matter,” Daley said. “My plan is to be the champion, fight Koscheck and just keep winning and hold my focus. If I do that it doesn’t matter what’s in front of me.”

For more on Bellator 148, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.