Paul Daley not happy with treatment from Bellator, Scott Coker: They’re playing me for an idiot

Paul Daley still isn’t happy with Bellator MMA. The British knockout artist, who battles former UFC welterweight title challenger and World Series of Fighting champ Jon Fitch at Bellator 199 this weekend, recently aired his grievances in an interview with MMAJunkie.

“I’ve had great times with Bellator,” Daley said. “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 bullshit. Let me fight, let me go, or you treat me like you want me to be here.”

Daley then elaborated that part of the problem for him is a lack of communication.

“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.”

What do you make of the situation between Paul Daley and Bellator?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 5/7/2018.