UFC 113: Josh Koscheck Beats Paul Daley, Then It Gets Ugly

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In a bout to determine the next challenger for the UFC welterweight title, Josh Koscheck beat Paul Daley in a boring decision that left the fans in Montreal booing at UFC 113. And then, in a stunning display of classlessness, Daley walked up to Koscheck after the fight and sucker-punched him.

Koscheck will now coach on The Ultimate Fighter and then face UFC welterweight Georges St. Pierre, while Daley will most likely face discipline for hitting Koscheck after the fight was over.

UFC President Dana White said afterward that he's firing Daley from the UFC.

"He's done," White said. "I don't care if he's the best 170-pounder in the world, he'll never fight in the UFC again."

White called Daley's sucker punch "one of the dumbest things I've ever seen," and said that there's nothing Daley can do to get back into the UFC's good graces now.

Koscheck, who appeared on ESPN2 after the fight, was more charitable.

"I hope the best for Paul Daley," Koscheck said. "I don't dislike him. I dislike how he acted, but I don't dislike him and I hope the UFC will give him another chance."

The fight itself got started with Daley throwing a flying knee in the opening seconds of the fight, and for the first minute, Daley had some success as he kept the fight standing. But Koscheck, who was a good college wrestler, soon did exactly what he wanted to and put Daley flat on his back. From there Koscheck maneuvered into position for a rear-naked choke and almost sunk it in, but Daley managed to break free and get back to his feet, with Koscheck still down.

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That's where it got strange: With Koscheck on his knees, Daley tried to knee Koscheck in the head, which would be illegal -- except that replays appeared to show Daley actually missing Koscheck. Koscheck crumpled to the ground and gestured to the referee that he was hurt, even as it was hard to tell from the replays whether Daley actually touched Koscheck at all. Whether Koscheck was acting, or whether Daley actually did connect, the fight was briefly delayed before the first round ended.

In the second round, Koscheck again took Daley down and again put him flat on his back, and the fight stayed on the ground for almost the entire round. That caused the fans in Montreal to boo, as Koscheck controlled Daley on the ground but never put him in any danger, and the second round was fairly boring.

In the third round, Daley landed a few punches and got off to a better start than he had in the second, but it wasn't long before Koscheck trapped Daley against the cage and took him to the ground, and that was that: Koscheck continued to control Daley on the ground and held on to win a dull decision.

All three judges scored it 30-27 for Koscheck, who taunted the fans in Montreal afterward and told them he'd beat their hometown hero, St. Pierre. With that, Koscheck walked out of the ring, ending an ugly fight and an even uglier post-fight.
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