Koscheck vs. Daley II co-headlines 'Bellator 158: Kimbo vs. Thompson II' in London

Paul Daley

As expected Josh Koscheck (17-10 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and Paul Daley (38-13-2 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) will finally meet again, and they’ll do so in Bellator 158’s co-headliner.

Bellator President Scott Coker previously told MMAjunkie he was planning to book the long-awaited grudge match for this summer, and ahead of a press conference today in London, the organization formally unveiled the welterweight matchup (via Twitter).

The event, formally dubbed “Bellator 158: London,” takes place July 16 at The O2 in London, and the main card airs on Spike. As reported on Sunday, Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson (6-2 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) and James Thompson (20-16 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) rematch in the heavyweight headliner.

Koscheck and Daley have bad blood that goes back five years. They first met at UFC 113 in May 2010 in a lackluster affair that saw Koscheck win by unanimous decision. The most noteworthy part of the bout, however, came after the final bell when Daley landed a sucker-punch while Koscheck’s back was turned.

The UFC released Daley after the event.

Koscheck fights for the first time under the Bellator banner; the UFC released the former title challenger last year following a five-fight skid. The four-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler then signed with Bellator and was slated for a promotional debut against Matthew Secor in January at Bellator 148, but the 38-year-old suffered an injury and was force off the card.

Daley, meanwhile, also fought on that Bellator 148 card (the plan was to have them both win there to set up the rematch), and he knocked out Andy Uhrich for his fifth consecutive win. The 33-year-old kickboxer, who will fight in his hometown at Bellator 158, is also on an overall 9-1 run that includes eight knockout victories.

Additional Bellator 158 bouts will be announced in the coming weeks.

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