It’s starting to become clear why Paul Daley’s turbulent relationship with Bellator is suddenly on the mend: A fight with British rival Michael Venom Page is going to be one of the hot talking points of ‘Semtex’s’ meeting with Scott Coker at Bellator 200 this Friday.
Daley, who has lambasted Bellator on social media — and inside the cage — for not promoting him as one of its flagship stars, told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour that a grudge match with ‘MVP’ will ‘definitely’ happen in the future, perhaps after Page’s co-headlining bout with David Rickels at Bellator 200.
And, not only is is the fight a guarantee, but knockout artist Daley has promised to KO his British nemesis in the first round.
“That’s a fight that’s going to be made, definitely,” Daley said, per MMA Fighting’s Shaun Al-Shatti. “That’ll probably be one of the main points that me and Scott talk about. [Page] says he doesn’t want to fight because I’ve done him a favor and let the fight grow, and allow him to make more money than he’s probably ever made [in his career]. He says he doesn’t want to fight me now, but I think when we hash this deal out with Scott Coker, that the fight will be made and ‘MVP’ will get an ass-whooping.
“He’ll probably do very well this weekend against the 155er, predominantly wrestler that they’ve given him to allow him to look good. As they’ve done with all of his fights, in fact. But when he does eventually step in there with me, the first genuine test of his career, he will get switched off within the first round, I’m pretty sure of that. If he can’t beat a fat, tubby (Fernando) Gonzalez — he got a split decision against him — then he’s got no chance against me.”
Daley and Page are two of the most technical and hard-hitting strikers in the Bellator welterweight division, and a fight between the two Brits has all the makings of a classic.
Page did recently tell MMA Fighting that he’s no longer interested in the bout, however, but Daley thinks the London Shootfighter is ‘deluded’ and has no business sense.
“This guy is obviously deluded,” Daley said. “He doesn’t know how to conduct himself in business. He doesn’t even realize that he’s been given his career. He’s been given his career, he’s been given fights, and he hasn’t fought anybody. So obviously his self-belief is going to be at an all-time high, but he cannot walk in my shoes on any given day. He’s not made of the same sh*t that I’m made of, so when we get in the cage, his whole world is going to unravel. He’s probably going to be crying at the end of the fight, I’ll say that.
“So hopefully we’ll make the fight, we get to see ‘MVP’ in tears, I get to run home with a bunch of money, and my fans are all happy.”
Daley’s rivalry with Page reached boiling point at Bellator 179, where the 35-year-old charged at Venom after losing to Rory MacDonald in the main event.
Don’t be surprised to see Daley, who infamously punched Josh Koscheck after the bell at UFC 113, to storm the Bellator cage after Page’s fight with Rickels tomorrow evening.
Bellator 200 takes place this Friday, May 25 at the SSE Arena in London, England.