Paul Daley knew going into UFC 113 that he was in the fight of his life. Little did he know that the fight of his life wouldn’t even take place until after his bout with Josh Koscheck. After being put on his back for three rounds, Daley jumped up after the final horn and nailed Koscheck with a punch to the face.
Dana White wasted no time in firing Daley after the incident, promising the British fighter will never step foot inside the UFC Octagon ever again.
Daley has released a statement regarding his actions via the Telegraph Website:
“I’ve had a long flight home to consider my actions and regret the mistake I made on Saturday. I would like to apologize to the UFC and the Athletic Commission for what I’ve done as well as all the fans and sponsors that support me.”
“I would also like to offer my sincerest apologies to Josh Koscheck who did not deserve the cheap shot I threw. He did what he needed to do in order to win the fight and get the job done, and I foolishly reacted to the situation.”
“There is no excuse for my actions and I know what I did was very unprofessional. I was immensely frustrated by a collection of things that took place throughout the fight as well as leading up to it, but I’m certainly not trying to condone or excuse my actions.”
“Josh implemented his game plan perfectly taking me down and staying on top of me for the majority of the fight. I was also frustrated about him claiming (and acting like) I knee’d him in the head on the ground when it was clear for all to see in the video replay that I didn’t connect at all with the knee I threw.”
“Then finally, the verbal abuse Josh hit me with in the final 30 seconds of the fight simply pushed me over the edge and my frustrations came out as I knew I’d lost the fight, was unhappy with my own performance and had then been ridiculed by my opponent to top things off.”
“This is certainly no excuse for my actions; I fully deserve to be punished for what I did and hope that everyone I have disappointed can forgive my rash decision. I feel very disappointed in myself for losing my cool and hope that I am able to address my temperament and bounce back from this low point in my career.”
“I feel ashamed and embarrassed by what I did and hope that together my team and I can get through this issue. It will be a long road back from where I am now to earning the trust and respect of the UFC and the MMA fans that have supported me for so long, I know I’ve let you all down but I’m determined to make it up to you all.”
While the apology in no way makes up for his actions, it was vital that Daley issue the statement and show some sort of remorse for the incident. Only time will tell just how severely Saturday night will impact the future of one of the best welterweight fighters in the world.
