Strikeforce has struck gold with Paul Daley. The big-mouthed Brit has fists of steel and backs it up with a brash attitude. He let his temper get the best of him at UFC 113 when he sucker punched Josh Koscheck. The UFC fired him on the spot, but he's rebounded quickly with Strikeforce.
Daley scored of a Knockout of the Year candidate two weeks ago over Scott Smith, and now Strikeforce is looking for the next opponent who can stand and bang with him.
KJ Noons fancies himself as the best boxer at 155 and 170 pounds in MMA. He's also got a big mouth. This could be a nice promotion for early 2011. One problem, Noons says Daley is a nobody.
"He’s like the black eye of MMA, this guy’s the leftovers of the UFC. I’m surprised Strikeforce even picked him up," Daley told MMAWeekly.com. "He’s trying to make his name so of course he’s going to call somebody out that beat Nick Diaz. That’s how he’s trying to get his name out there."
Noons has his finger on the pulse of what the fans wants.
"Of course it would be exciting to watch me knockout Paul Daley. Everybody would want to see that, but the thing is nobody wants to see Paul Daley," said Noons.
Huh? That contradictory statement aside, Noons is wise to pass on the fight.
He's a lightweight and that's where he should concentrate his efforts. Daley is too big for him. The Diaz bout was a nice novelty fight and a necessary rematch, but Noons needs to stay down and establish dominance at 155.
Noons also thinks Daley is asking for it, if he keeps calling out Diaz.
"If he fights Nick, that’s an easy win for Nick in my book," said Noons. "I think that’s why Nick’s going to take the fight, easy win for Nick Diaz. Paul Daley won’t even make it to the championship rounds with Nick Diaz."
In spite of what Noons thinks, that is a fight that would sell big with MMA fans. The lead-up to the card would be dynamite and Diaz would probably be stubborn and trade the entire time with the one-dimensional Daley.
Forrest Griffin Ryan Bader Jon Jones Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
No comments:
Post a Comment