Paul “Semtex” Daley will be facing Kazuo Misak (also a Tiger Muay Thai and MMA Alumnus) on the next Strikeforce card on March 3rd in Columbus, Ohio. Daley’s last Strikeforce appearance was in July of last year with a close decision loss against Tyron Woodley. Since then, he’s gone 2-0 against UFC veterans Luigi Fioravanti and Jordan Radev. This will be Misak’s first Strikeforce fight and it will be an incredible introduction when these two clash!

Fans and forums are abuzz wondering when Dana White will forgive Paul “Semtex” Daley for the infamous UFC 113 “sucker punch” incident. The fighter is moving ever closer to getting back into the UFC and is training at Tiger Muay Thai and MMA training camp in Phuket, Thailand for ten days in preparation for an undisclosed fight with a US promotion.

“I’ve learned to have more self-control,” explains Daley who has spent the last two years in the world’s top ten rankings. “I’ve come to know how to play the game a little bit and how to act the right way.”

Sayings he’s just a “cool guy” who made a mistake, Daley has had a deep love of the martial arts since he was a little boy watching Bruce Lee movies with his dad.

“There’s a real mystique to it all,” explains Daley, who started karate at the age of 7 and developed into a prominent striker in the Mixed Martial Arts realm. “MMA encourages you to stick with something. You can’t turn into a great fighter overnight. You have to learn patience.”

And it’s patience he’ll have to have if he wants to get into the good books of Dana White again. There’s no better place to foster it than at TMT in Thailand – the largest camp of its kind in Southeast Asia. With its Buddhist culture and hardcore Muay Thai and MMA training, he’ll be working with the most elite Muay Thai trainers in the world – ones who will further instil the ideals of discipline and decorum.

“I chose Tiger Muay Thai because of the presence of high-level MMA and Muay Thai fighters like
JJ Ambrose, Ryan Diaz and Felipe Enomoto,” says the top two ranked European welterweight five years running. “The Thai trainers have a lot of tricks and techniques. I want to get a bit of everything while out here.”

Semtex will be holding a seminar at TMT on Jan. 12 from 4-6 pm revealing his secrets to knockout power, superior striking and takedown defence. It is free to Tiger guests and 2,000 Baht for non Tiger guests.

Article by Natasha Horrelt