Dana White banned star fighter from the UFC for life because of unforgivable act
Dana White banned a star fighter from the UFC for life because of his unforgivable act inside the Octagon.
Many fighters have been cut from the UFC, but not many have been banned from competing with the MMA leaders.
White made one of his most ruthless calls as UFC boss at the expense of a rising MMA superstar.
In 2009, Daley joined the UFC, but his spell with the promotion lasted just three fights and ended in extremely controversial fashion.
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He signed with the UFC, having had stints with the likes of Cage Warriors, Cage Rage, Strikeforce and Elite XC.
Daley made his promotional debut at UFC 103 back in September 2009.
He was moved up from the undercard to face perennial contender Martin Kampmann after Mike Swick was forced to withdraw from the welterweight main-card bout.
Daley, known for the explosive power in his hands, stopped Kampmann on his feet as he put the UFC welterweight division on notice.
'Semtex' was then matched against submission expert Dustin Hazelett at UFC 108.
He delivered a 'Knockout of the Night' worthy performance, destroying Hazelett in the first round to set up a UFC welterweight title eliminator against Josh Koscheck in what turned out to be his final UFC appearance.
Daley and Koscheck exchanged verbal barbs ahead of their UFC 113 clash, intensifying their fight.
In the cage, Koscheck refused to engage in a stand-up battle, taking the contest to the ground as he showed off his superior wrestling skills, winning a lopsided unanimous decision.
There was little action in the fight but after the final bell, the Brit landed his most telling punch on his rival as he inexplicably sucker punched Koscheck.
UFC commentator Joe Rogan condemned Daley's illegal strike, describing the moment as 'terrible'.
Speaking in his UFC 113 post-fight press conference, White made his feelings clear and not only cut Daley from the roster but also banned him from fighting in the UFC for life.
"I don’t care if (Daley) fights in every show all over the world and becomes the best, and everybody thinks he is the pound-for-pound best in the world. he will never fight in the UFC again," he exclaimed.
White kept his promise and never allowed Daley to compete in the UFC following his sucker punch.
He still carved out a distinguished career away from the UFC, notably joining Strikeforce, where he fought Nick Diaz for the promotion's welterweight title.
Even though he lost to Diaz, the fight is still etched in MMA history following their thrilling one-round shootout.
After being let go by the UFC, Daley beat the likes of Jorge Masvidal, Scott Smith and Lorenz Larkin.
Topics: Dana White, UFC
Nasir Jabbar