At the conclusion of UFC 113’s hotly contested 170-lb. number one contender’s match-up, Paul Daley, frustrated by a game plan by Josh Koscheck that kept him mainly on his back and not on his feet, fired back at the former All-American wrestler after the final bell with a post-fight cheap shot. After the press conference tonight, he was stung by a post-PPV shot from President Dana White: welterweight Paul Daley will never fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship again.
That’s the word from the press conference, as White condemned the veteran fighter’s actions following the pay-per-view fight.
“He’s done,” White said after the event. “I don’t give a [expletive] if he’s the best 170-pounder in the world. He’ll never come back here again.
“There’s no excuse for that. These guys are professional athletes. You don’t ever hit a guy blatantly after the bell like that, whether you’re frustrated or not. It was probably one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen because he is a talented guy, and he is one of the best 170-pounders in the world.”
Daley also is likely to face a suspension and fine, though Montreal’s athletic commission won’t rule on the matter for another couple days.
Following two official fights in the organization, Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson’s days in the UFC are apparently done.
UFC president Dana White revealed in Saturday night’s post-UFC 113 press conference in Montreal that Slice (4-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) would likely be released following his loss to fellow “The Ultimate Fighter 10” cast member Matt Mitrione (2-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC).
“That’s probably Kimbo’s last fight in the UFC,” White said.
A former streetfighter that took up mixed martial arts in 2007, Slice has been a YouTube sensation, network television superstar, reality show contestant and pay-per-view draw. His trademark beard and gold chain drew viewers by the millions when he was starring with the now-defunct EliteXC organization and again when he was shockingly selected as a contestant on “TUF 10.”
“His first fight wasn’t the YouTube fights that you saw, but he won,” White said. “He won that fight, and he deserved another fight in the UFC.”
That fight came against Mitrione, who used leg kicks to batter Slice, threatened with a pair of triangle choke attempts on the ground, and ultimately earned a second-round TKO via strikes after mounting the bearded brawler, who showed no signs that he would be able to return to his feet.