Sacked Former UFC Fighter Paul Daley Gives His Take on Conor McGregor’s Lack of Punishment…
Conor McGregor seems to be able to do what he wants and get away with it. There’s a long list of crazy things he’s done at this stage. He’s been called out for being homophobic, racist, and sexist. He’s shoved referee Mark Goddard at a Bellator MMA event. Oh and of course, along with 20 goons, he attacked a bus carrying Khabib Nurmagamedov.
At the time the UFC was vocal in its condemnation of McGregor’s behavior. At the end of the day, they had to be. He’d injured Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg and could have caused grievous damage to Rose Namajunas. That night he ended up in a Brooklyn precinct cell, along with his teammate Cian Cowley.
Despite the fact that UFC President Dana White said that it was the most disgusting thing to have ever happened in the history of the UFC, they’ve actually tried to downplay the situation since. Now a former fighter, who was actually sacked straight after punching a fighter after the bell, has given his take, and it’s not what you might expect.
Daley Gets It
Paul Daley entered UFC folklore when he was sacked after landing a sucker punch on Josh Koscheck, back in 2010. He was instantly condemned by the company and his contract immediately canceled. He’s responded to why the UFC hasn’t taken any action against McGregor despite the similar severity of his actions.
“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,” Daley said. “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.”
That’s very pragmatic of Daley. He’s totally right: at the end of the day money does the talking, and McGregor is the biggest cash cow in the history of the organization. His boxing match against Floyd Mayweather in August last year generated millions more in revenue than any actual UFC MMA event in 2017.
Business is Business
Daley, coming off the back of a win against Lorenz Larkin has had his fair share of ups and downs with each promotion he’s been involved with. It’s only recently that he’s signed on the dotted line to fight at Bellator 199 in San Jose, on May 12. Fighters should understand their value.
“Yeah, really, he should be treated the same as I was,”Daley said. “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.”
Back Soon?
McGregor hasn’t fought in the UFC since November 2016, when he defeated Eddie Alvarez to win the lightweight championship and become the first UFC fighter to hold two belts simultaneously. He’s expected to make his return this year.
That all depends on the results of his court case. The Irishman is due back in New York on June 14. It’s expected that he’ll never be allowed to fight in the Big Apple again, but that he will avoid a prison sentence or a national work visa ban.
