Paul Daley Claims Bellator MMA Is “Playing Me For An Idiot”
Paul Daley returns to the Bellator MMA cage this coming Saturday Night, facing the debuting Jon Fitch at Bellator 199.
The British slugger hasn’t been to happy with the promotion as of late and the competitor thinks they are trying to play him for an idiot.
“I’ve had great times with Bellator,” Daley said to MMA Junkie. “I just don’t like the recent treatment of me. I’ve made it clear, and I will continue to make it clear through all the interviews – at the post-fight, at the pre-fight, during fight week – I ain’t happy with what you guys are doing. I can see through what you guys are doing. They’re playing me for an idiot, and I ain’t an idiot. Let’s just be done with all the bull(expletive). Let me fight, let me go, or you treat me like you want me to be here.”
Daley has been taken shots at the promotion for the way the promotion has reportedly treated him, but Bellator MMA President Scott Coker just believes Daley is an emotional guy.
A huge problem Daley has with the promotion is that they won’t address any of the issues he has brought up with them.
“They don’t address me,” Daley said. “I’ve been in this sport for 15 years, and they don’t address me. The only time I speak to Scott Coker is on fight week. I don’t know the reason, but I’m sure other fighters, especially the AKA boys and the Americans, have more of an interaction with him. And there is no U.K. representative for Bellator, so no, there’s no one else for me to speak to. I just think that in itself is a bit disrespectful, that the boss of your promotion doesn’t speak to you but then goes and does an interview and says, ‘Paul says this and Paul says that. We offered Paul this and we offered him that.’ You ain’t offered me (expletive). You ain’t even spoke to me in person, Mr. Coker. So what the (expletive) is that? This is how I feel, and this is the attitude I’m going to take all the way up until fight night and after fight night.”
Bellator 199 takes place on Saturday, May 12 from the SAP Center in San Jose, California with Ryan Bader and King Mo headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which airs live on the Paramount Network.
