Although reluctant to overlook Rory MacDonald, Friday’s (May 19) opponent, Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley has expressed his desire to secure a rematch with current Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima in the near future.
The 33-year-old Brit, who faces MacDonald at London’s Wembey Arena in a matter of days, is keen to get his hands on Lima for a couple of reasons. He wants the Brazilian in order to avenge a 2016 points defeat he suffered in London; he also wants to be able to one day call himself a Bellator world champion.
Not only that, Daley has been very vocal about the fact he doesn’t believe MacDonald is in Lima’s league.
“I hold Lima above Rory,” he said ahead of Bellator 179. “I don’t think there’s a bigger, more athletic, scarier welterweight out there at the moment.
“Me and my team, though, believe we can defeat Douglas Lima over five rounds. We’re not looking past Rory, but, yeah, we want that shot at Lima. I feel I’ll be more composed and won’t rush out in the first 30 seconds like I did last time. I’ll focus on five rounds and we’ll beat Lima.”
Lima is scheduled to make the first defence of his Bellator welterweight crown – ripped from Andrey Koreshkov last November – against Lorenz Larkin at Bellator: Sonnen vs. Silva on June 24. The winner of Daley-MacDonald, meanwhile, waits in the wings.
