The bad blood between Paul Daley and Josh Koscheck is set to continue flowing.
The pair of Bellator welterweights were set to put their six-year rivalry to rest in London next month at Bellator 158 but Koscheck has been forced off the card for an undisclosed reason, as broken by ESPN.com.
Koscheck and Daley met once before, at UFC 113 in 2010, and the bout will forever be remembered for the unseemly scenes that followed the final bell.
Koscheck took a unanimous decision by out-grappling the dangerous striker but a frustrated Daley took his anger out after the fight with a sucker-punch to the winner.
The cheap shot would be Daley’s last in the Octagon as he was subsequently cut from the UFC roster for his actions.
‘Semtex’ has enjoyed a successful stint ever since, hopping between various promotions before signing exclusively with Bellator last year.
Daley has a perfect record with Bellator, winning all four of his bouts under their banner, and he was set to hand Koscheck his promotional debut in a rematch dripping with hostility.
But it’s not to be and former Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima has stepped up to replace Koscheck and meet Daley on July 16.
The announcement of Koscheck’s withdrawal arrived just hours before the tragic news that Kimbo Slice had passed away on Monday morning.
The Bellator heavyweight was expected to meet James Thompson on the London card in a rematch of their EliteXC fight in 2008.
