Just when Paul Daley looked to be getting a decent run of form together, the British MMA fighter suffered defeat to Douglas Lima at Bellator 158.
Lima, who stepped in for Josh Koscheck after the American was forced to withdraw from the planned rematch with Daley, won by unanimous decision in London.
The Brazilian was fighting for the first time in almost exactly a year, and only the second since April 2014, but had enough to grind out victory over ‘Semtex’ at the O2 Arena.
.@phenomlima really bringing championship level striking to this fight! pic.twitter.com/KBRgM55MIU
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) July 17, 2016
Daley was famously cut from the UFC after a cheap shot against Koscheck at UFC 113, and had been bouncing around promotions ever since.
He seemed to have re-found a bit of form in Bellator, winning his first three bouts (two by knockout) to climb to third in the welterweight rankings.
But the 33-year-old will be required to bounce back once more after going down to Lima. His opponent showed plenty of emotion after a victory which clearly meant a lot to him.
Lima’s career record now sits at 27-6 (9-2 Bellator) and the 28-year-old has time on his side as he looks to push his way back towards the top of the rankings.
