Bellator’s Paul Daley once competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The fighter faced off against Josh Koscheck back at UFC 113. After suffering a loss to the fighter, Daley elected to take a swing at Koshcheck.
The incident caused Daley to be banned from the octagon for life, leading to the fighter’s choice to join the Bellator MMA roster.
Meanwhile, Conor McGregor is facing misdemeanor and felony criminal charges for a fracas that took place in Brooklyn, New York on April 5. The incident left multiple people injured and an estimated $8,000 in damages to a UFC bus.
With all of that in mind, McGregor is not yet facing a single punitive measure from the promotion. Speaking on the latest edition of The MMA Hour, Paul Daley offered his thoughts on the matter.
“I’ve seen all the comparisons, and yeah, the whole situation, it was very similar, and Dana could come across as being a little hypocritical. But for me, it’s a different ballgame.”
“The UFC was in a different place then and it’s in a different place now, and a lot of where they are now is down to Conor McGregor. So if you’ve got someone bringing in money, and is raising the sport and your promotion to greater heights, then you can’t ban him for life because business is going to go bad for you. So I understand.
“Yeah, really, he should be treated the same as I was. He should be banned for life. What he did as a guy with his profile in the sport and for the company of the UFC, he should be banned for life, if, for what I did, I got banned for life. But business and business and they need him, and I like Conor McGregor and I respect him, and I respect Dana’s choice. It’s a smart move.”
