British striker Paul "Semtex" Daley was wrapping up nearly nine weeks of training for his Aug. 1 showdown against former IFL champ Jay Hieron when he learned of the Affliction "Trilogy" cancellation.
"I was and I'm still in disbelief," Daley tells FanHouse. "I put a lot of effort into this camp, training and financially. It's left me [expletive]."
Daley (21-8-2), who has won nine out of his last eleven fights, says he doesn't hold anything against Affliction or Tom Atencio but wants to be released to fight elsewhere and compensated for the event cancellation.
Already on the lookout for his next fight, Daley expressed interest as the replacement for Joe Riggs against Nick Diaz at Strikeforce "Carano vs. Cyborg" on Aug. 15.
"Nick has been awesome in his last fights, [I've] been real impressed," Daley said. "I would love to fight this guy. Think it would be an entertaining fight for the fans."
Possibly standing in his way could be his scheduled "Trilogy" opponent Hieron, who has also stated interest in stepping in against Diaz.