Josh Koscheck (L) holds on to Paul Daley in their welter weight bout at UFC 113.
Josh Koscheck (L) holds on to Paul Daley in their welter weight bout at UFC 113.

BY JAMES BRYDON
sportsnet.ca

MONTREAL -- Paul Daley lost more than a fight and a chance to challenge Georges St-Pierre as champion and Ultimate Fighter coach. The Englishman also lost a job with the UFC.

After hitting Josh Koscheck with a sucker punch well after the bell sounded at the end of what was a dominant three-round decision loss, UFC president Dana White said in no uncertain terms that it was his last fight in the organization. Ever.

"I don’t care if Daley wins a bunch of fights in all kinds of promotions and becomes the best in the world," White said at the post-fight press conference. "Daley will never fight in the UFC ever again."

In a moment that was reminiscent of a recent melee that broke out at a Strikeforce show last month, where Jake Shields and his teammates got into it with Jason (Mayhem) Miller after Shields successfully defended his middleweight belt against Dan Henderson, Daley responded to something Koscheck whispered in his ear by launching an uppercut that clipped him.

Referee Dan Miragliotta immediately got in the middle and held Daley back. Before the fight decision was announced, an incensed White entered the cage and spoke to Daley about the incident. He said Daley claimed he didn’t hear the bell but White wasn’t buying it. Nor was he tolerating it.

White said Kimbo Slice will also be released following his TKO loss to Matt Mitrione, though White admitted he lasted longer in the UFC than he ever expected and said he had "a lot of respect for Kimbo." That decision was performance-based and not necessarily permanent.

NOTES: Koscheck explained what happened when the fight was halted in the first round for an apparent illegal knee to the head from Daley while he was still on the ground, which on replays looked as if it completely missed. He said that he was definitely hit in the eye, he just didn't know if it was the knee or Daley's hand swinging by ... Koscheck said at the post-fight press conference he didn't know his hometown Penguins had beaten the Montreal Canadiens in Pittsburgh to take a 3-2 lead in their Stanley Cup playoff conference semi-final series Saturday when he boasted in his post-fight interview that they were going to win the series. That comment naturally drew the ire of the fans in attendance, as did his suggestion that if they were going to boo him, he would get even by beating Georges St-Pierre, who he will now coach opposite on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter thanks to his victory ... The Knockout of the Night bonus not surprisingly went to Mauricio (Shogun) Rua, Belcher earned top submissoin, and Fight of the Night honours went to Jeremy Stephens and London, Ont.'s Sam Stout, which was the Canadian's third straight. Each was worth $65,000.




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