Bellator 158's Josh Koscheck never expected to rematch Paul Daley

LONDON – Josh Koscheck’s decision to sign with Bellator has led him back to several places he thought were left in the past. Most notably, a rematch with Paul Daley and fighting on Spike, the network that effectively launched his MMA career.

Koscheck (17-10 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) was one of the breakout personalities on the inaugural season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” He stood out for his role as a “bad guy,” repeatedly pushing an emotionally fragile Chris Leben until “The Crippler” lost it in one of the defining moments of Season 1 of the UFC’s flagship reality program. “TUF” would remain a staple of Spike programming for 14 seasons before moving to FX and, eventually, FOX Sports 1.

While Koscheck lost in the semi-finals of the reality tournament, he went on to fight in the UFC’s famed octagon a total of 25 times. After a four-fight losing skid, he found himself looking for a new place to ply his trade. He signed a deal with Bellator, which broadcasts its events on Spike.

His first bout with the promotion will be a rematch with Daley (38-13-2 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), his former UFC rival. Koscheck beat Daley by decision at UFC 113 in May 2010, but the moment that forever links the men was a Daley punch thrown after the final bell as Koscheck walked back to his corner. The punch resulted in Daley’s immediate release from the UFC while Koscheck’s next fight was a bout with Georges St-Pierre at UFC 124.

At the recent press conference to announce Bellator 158, which takes place July 16 at The O2 in London, Koscheck spoke to MMAjunkie about what the fight means for his career.

“This is a big fight not only for myself but for Paul Daley, Bellator and Spike TV,” Koscheck said. “I started my career on Spike and I’m going to get to come back home and end my career on Spike at some point. It’s going to be a fun event. The bells and whistles are going to be going, the big screen, you know, the cool walkouts Bellator does in their big shows. It’s going to be a fun event, not only for us but for the fans.”

Things got heated at the press conference when Daley and Koscheck stood for a face-off. After a brief bit of jawing between the welterweights, Bellator President Scott Coker and light heavyweight fighter Liam McGeary were forced to hold the two apart.

The animosity, Koscheck said, is real and is primarily motivated by Daley’s frustration over their first fight.

“Obviously, we don’t like each other,” Koscheck said. “The funny thing is, he brought this upon himself. I whipped his ass easily, convincingly. I beat him easily when we fought in 2010. I beat him easy, real easy. He was frustrated because we were exchanging words the whole time throughout the fight and he must not have liked what I said to him multiple times. It’s eating him up because he got kicked out of the UFC for his stupidness and here I am now back in Bellator and the reason I signed with Bellator is to fight Paul Daley.

“I never thought (we would rematch), actually. I figured my career went a different path and his went the way it did. It’s funny how things come 360 and we’re here in London and get to do it in his home country.”

For more on Bellator 158, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.