...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Nick Diaz's next opponent may be good to go, as Paul Daley knocked out Yuya Shirai in just under two minutes on Saturday in the U.K. at BAMMA 5.
The fight was supposed to be a five round title fight, but Daley's failure to make weight turned it into a three round affair. But Daley didn't need the extra time to finish Shirai, as he dropped him multiple times before scoring an uppercut that stopped the fight at 1:46 of the round.
Daley is now likely to be tapped for an April 9 meeting with Diaz for the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship. His December knockout of Scott Smith put him in line, and his third straight win makes him the most deserving of any fighter on Strikeforce's roster.
Also picking up wins on the card were Ricco Rodriguez, who defeated TUF vet James McSweeney by decision, and Alex Makhonin, who took out UFC vet Xavier Foupa-Pokam by TKO.
Penick's Analysis: Well, by only fighting for 1:46, Daley didn't expend too much energy or effort, and also didn't take any damage, so an April 9 fight is definitely an option for him. He'll make a very hard hitting challenge to Diaz, and it depends how Diaz fights that one against him in April. If he fights Daley like he fought Cyborg, Diaz could find himself in a lot of trouble. If he brings it to the ground, he'll have a much better shot at retaining his belt.
DON'T GO YET... WE SUGGEST THESE MMATORCH ARTICLES, TOO!
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
Interested in joining MMATorch's writing team? Send idea for a theme to your column (for Specialist section) or area of interest (i.e. TV Reporter) along with a sample of writing to mmatorch@gmail.com.
