Paul Daley recently sat down with MMA HQ and openly spoke his mind on his April 9th opponent, Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz.
When asked if he thinks whether or not Diaz will stand up with him, Daley responded, “There’s no way he’ll stand up with me. He might think he wants to but his coaches won’t allow it; Cesar Gracie’s a great coach and he won’t want him trading punches.” He continued “I’m a better athlete than he is. He’s a really dangerous grappler but he’s got to get in close enough to make it work and I’m not going to give him the chance… I’m going to smash him within three rounds.”
Paul Daley (27-9-2) debuted with Strikeforce in December of 2010, knocking out Scott Smith in dominating fashion. Talks of a title fight between Paul Daley and Nick Diaz instantly generated, and Coker announced that if Daley could beat Yuya Shirai at BAMMA 5, then he will be the next challenger for the Strikeforce Welterweight Title. Originally scheduled to be for Shiriai’s BAMMA Welterweight Title, Daley couldn’t make weight (missed it by .4 lbs) and the fight was changed to a non-title fight. The fire was still lit under Daley though, as he crushed Shirai in under two minutes.
Paul Daley and Nick Diaz will meet on April 9th for the Strikeforce Welterweight Title at “Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley”.
