INTERVIEW
PAUL
DALEY:
“THEY WANT TO SEE A KNOCK OUT. THAT’S WHAT I DO AT THE END OF THE DAY.”
Fightsport caught up with Paul (Semtex)
Daley at Bushido Gym in Nottingham. Paul
is the first black MMA fighter to be signed
to fight in the UFC from the UK and the tenth
MMA fighter overall to sign a contract with
the UFC.
Let’s start by catching up on pro. Driving up and down the to come out hard. On paper our that was the top, the absolute
a bit of your history. Tell me motorway, getting in as much styles are well matched, I think pinnacle and now it seems that
about your road to the UFC experience as I could, then I did it’s going to be an entertaining anyone with a good manager
The road to the UFC has been a a few shows to raise the money fight. and a bit of charisma can get
long one for me to send me off to train with into the UFC , it’s not like that in
American Top Team. I think
I’m sure everybody wants to
boxing and I don’t want it to be
How long have you been trai-
that I have done everything you
see you guys go head to head,
like that in the UFC.
ning?
know. The goal with the UFC
toe to toe?
I started with Karate when I was
was that I didn’t want to go too
Yes, I know a lot of fans want What do you think about
about seven, then Jui-Jitsu for
early, I had a strategy. I wanted
to see us go head to head, they fighters who pick their fights
about five years and then moved
to be an entity away from the
want to see a knock out. That’s to protect their record?
over to Thai Boxing and most
UFC, before I joined the UFC.
what I do at the end of the day. That’s down to each individual,
recently, the last seven years, in
Which I think I have done.
We will see. boxers do it, MMA fighters do it,
MMA. it’s just a part of the fight game.
Do you think you achieved
There is a few things going on
You just have to remember that
So, your twenty six now and
everything you wanted to
with UK fighters in the UFC,
there comes a point where you
you started MMA when you
outside the UFC?
we know that James McSwee-
have to fight who you have
were nineteen?
I have done a lot of the things
ny has just been in the Ulti-
to fight. That’s where some
Yes, I was nineteen when I star-
that I wanted to do. I have bea-
mate Fighter series 10. What
people get found out.
ted training seriously in MMA
ten UFC veterans. I have fought
do you think about that?
and competing in the cage
in Japan. I have done most of
Yeah! James is a cool guy, he OK, let’s have a look at UFC
has always been nice to speak 100, Michael Bisping, local boy
How did you get into that? the things I wanted to but there
to. I think that it’s something from just down the road. A big
The trouble with MMA, espe- are still a few things in the back
good, something positive; it’s fight for him, a big loss for him.
cially in the UK, is that there is of my mind. When the offer
good to see UK fighters going Do you think that he will be
no real progressive structure came from the UFC I couldn’t
to America and getting into the able to come back from it?
you can follow. People start up turn down the opportunity
UFC. But what I wouldn’t want In the early days I trained with
and progress in so many diffe- again.
to see is too many fighters with Mike on a few occasions. I’ve
rent ways. With me it was really
So what else did you want to no name or no history getting known him for a sometime.
down to my Thai Boxing coach.
achieve outside the UFC? into the Tuf House and sudden- He’s got a lot of skill; he is a
We sat down and talked about
I wanted to be the biggest ly fighting in the UFC. I mean, fighter’s fighter. Of course he
how I would begin and progress
name, the best known indepen- the thing is for me, when I first is going to bounce back, he is a
. He said if you are going to do
dent fighter outside the UFC. started it was just the Americans fighter at heart, no matter what
it, you have you do it right. So
in the UFC, then you had people happens or where he has to
I started off with amateur tour- What about your next fight.
like Ian Freeman and Mark Weir. fight, he will fight. So, yeah.
naments, then we did the semi Brian Foster?
It just wasn’t a reality for most
pro stuff. I was doing twelve or He’s a tough guy, a tough
fighters to get into the UFC,
GSP?
thirteen fights a year as a semi fighter. I think that he is going It was a good fight for GSP but
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FightSport UK 12 FINAL.indd 30 21/08/2009 11:51
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