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29/09/09 - Semtex Daley wants Hughes: "I am like a mafia hitman"
Fresh from his rapid KO win over Martin Kampmann at UFC 103, Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley has compared himself to a mafia hitman and says he will fight anybody the UFC puts in front of him. However, if it were up to him, he would fight former welterweight champion Matt Hughes next.
“I want to fight Hughes, firstly because he's a legend and second he's former welterweight champion. He has a win over the current welterweight champion, and he has all the skills to exploit my weaknesses that the media and my ‘fans’ so often talk about,” Daley told Fighters Only today.
“I want Hughes, I don’t see why he wouldn’t want to fight me, unless he thinks he's gonna lose,” Daley added. To him the fight is a no-brainer for Hughes. “He needs wins, I’m the young gun, he's the favourite.”
Asked if he is calling for a fight with Hughes because the former champion appears to be in the twilight of his career and at less than his prime, Daley answers emphatically in the negative. ““I think I’m going to beat everyone I step in the cage with, so it's not that. He's a big name, and I think the fight would be very entertaining.”
But there are other welterweights calling for a fight with Hughes, with Josh Koscheck leading the pack. Would Daley be happy if the UFC wanted to put you in with someone like Koscheck instead of Hughes?
“Like I keep saying I’m a fighters fighter, I'm an employee of the UFC. Just like the mafia hire hitmen, give me the contract, and I'll do my best to take him out!” Daley laughs.
However, there is one contract that Semtex would not want to take, no matter how much it is worth. There has been talk recently that he may find himself matched with Dan Hardy, a team mate of his from the UK’s Rough House fight team.
“Dan is already in a title eliminator and I think he'll win,” says Daley, referring to Hardy’s recently announced fight with Mike Swick. “He is way ahead of me in the UFC. I want to build my name, my title shot will come when Dan is not the champion. I have faith he will become champion, then I will wait in line until he retires the belt or loses it. I will NOT fight Dan.”
Daley’s final words are on the rumour that the Hughes fight might be made for UFC 107. Is this something that has been mentioned to him? For the first time, the answer is a short one. “No comment,” he states flatly.
John Joe O’Regan
John.fightersonly@gmail.com
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