The 2nd of 3 GLORY kickboxing bouts on the main card of Bellator: Dynamite 1 featured Bellator veterans Paul Daley and Fernando Gonzalez. Daley was the vastly more experienced and successful kickboxer on paper, so it’s no surprise what happened when he took on Gonzalez in the GLORY ring.
Daley started things off with two hard kicks – one low and one high.The two men traded kick attempts through the opening half of round 1, with Daley not throwing the vaunted left hook too often. He did drill Gonzalez with a left to the body and kept the pressure on with body kicks. A pudgy looking Gonzalez did enough to survive without being too competitive. “Semtex” came out more aggressive in round 2. Gonzalez connected with a right and then a straight left. Paul kept a kick-heavy attack and landed thudding shots to Gonzalez’s body frequently. Daley closed round 2 with a stiff jab and a follow-up right hand, after Gonzalez had brawled a bit in the corner.
Gonzalez poured out whatever he had left in the gas tank to try and score a major upset win and opted to brawl with the Brit. Daley fell like he’d been punched but it was a clear trip and no knockdown was awarded with less than half of the final round remaining. A brutal outside low kick buckled Gonzalez’s lead leg. Gonzalez caught Daley a couple of times with wild exchanges as they winged punches to end a surprisingly underwhelming fight.
Official result: Paul Daley def. Fernando Gonzalez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
About the author
