As reported late last night, Paul Daley has been pulled from the Bellator welterweight tournament. Josh Gross reported that the issue that forced Daley out was an assault charge related to a bar brawl.
Daley took to his Facebook account to deny at least part of the story:
It’s seems as though a mass press release has gone out to the MMA media, stating I was involved in a bar brawl, arrested, and cannot obtain a P-1 visa to compete in the USA.
…I am currently awaiting a decision on my visa, which is not expected until late April. Which means i am unable to compete in the season 8 Bellator tournament, as it starts in January.
I will be fighting in Europe in the coming months, so I am able to stay active while awaiting a decision on my visa status.
I was not involved in a bar brawl. This is 100% a false statement.
One of the main takeaways here is that Daley does not deny that there are assault charges which could be leading to the delay in visa decision. He denies being involved in a bar brawl.
Daley also does confirm that he is out of the Bellator tourney, which is obviously less than desirable as he has a bit of name value that could have helped with their first season on Spike.
I’m sure plenty more will come out on the details of exactly what, if anything, happened leading to the issues with his visa and withdrawl from the tournament.
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