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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
British welterweight Paul Daley bought himself a one way ticket out of the UFC back in May when he sucker punched Josh Koscheck after the final bell had sounded in their UFC 113 bout in Montreal. Immediately released, Daley was then "banned for life" from the UFC by UFC President Dana White.
While White has made amends with many fighters in the past, giving second chances to a number of guys, Daley won't be on that list.
"That ain't happening, brother," White said in comments made to MMAJunkie.com when asked if he's reconsidered the lifetime ban. "I know there's a lot of people that are fans. Dude, that was one of the – I don't even know how to put a word on what that kid did. 'You just had a chance to fight him for 15 minutes, and now you're going to suckerpunch him after the fight?'"
"It's disgusting. I hate that. I have no respect for that whatsoever. I know some people out there disagree with me, but this is a sport. There's a lot of things that I'm lenient about, but to walk up and suckerpunch a guy in the face that you just had 15 minutes with?"
Daley was handed a 30 day suspension from the Quebec Athletic Commission earlier this month stemming from the incident, but he'll return to action for the second time since UFC 113 when he takes on Jorge Masvidal at a Shark Fights event next month. He defeated Daniel Acacio in July at an Impact FC event in Australia.
But while he's been reportedly courted by both Bellator and Strikeforce, White says he crossed a line too far and the bridge is burnt with the UFC.
"When you're a fighter, and the fight ends and you're walking around calming down and relaxing, the last thing you expect to do is get punched in the face by someone," he said. "It's disgusting. I hate it."
Penick's Analysis: It's not surprising to see White stick with the stance, and I can't say I blame him. Daley's going to get a chance to redeem himself as a fighter outside of the UFC, but White's completely right, it's inexcusable and disgusting to throw that punch after the bell simply because he couldn't get it done within the 15 minutes he had to do so. Regardless of anything that was said before or during the fight, Daley had no excuse, and didn't do himself any favors with his attitude about the incident afterward. Best of luck to him going forward, but he'll simply not get a chance to prove his worth at the top of the division because of an extremely stupid decision in the heat of the moment.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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