"He's an unproven fighter. Let's throw him to the lions. If there's anything left of him after that, then he's deserving of the fight with me. Look, I've been 16 years in this game, fought everyone, worked hard, wins and losses. Now I'm in a position where I have a say in who/when I fight...Page is a grown man. He's also influenced a lot by the team around him. As I said, I plot my own route; I’m my own man. How he feels doesn't affect how I act. Everything has it's time, so will he...He has nothing to offer me. When we fight, I will KO him 1st or 2nd round," stated Bellator welterweight Paul Daley, who shared his thoughts on a future clash with fellow welterweight Michael Page. Check it out!
PC: Congratulations on the knockout win over Larenz Larkin. Before the knockout, how do you feel the flow of the fight was going? What did you see going on in there?
PD: I thought it was going well. I thought I controlled the fight. He had a few flurries, landed a shot or two, but I wasn't worried about what he had to offer.
PC: I’m always a little shocked when guys are willing to trade with you. Were you surprised that Larkin was so willing to trade blows or did you anticipate that?
PD: Let's say I wasn't worried about his wrestling or ground offense. He had no choice but to stand and trade with me.
PC: You also attempted a takedown as well as a triangle choke attempt. You definitely seem a lot more relaxed off of your back and in clinches as well in that fight.
PD: I’m always working. You know I'm always training, watching, and learning. I love martial arts and true martial arts is about continuous improvement. That's what I do.
PC: Maybe I missed something, but at some point during the build-up to your fight with Larkin, it seemed like he turned it personal. He even admitted that you’re the only guy he’s never liked heading into a fight. Was that provoked by you or just him disliking you? What’s the history there?
PD: He's just too sensitive. He needs to learn and read the game a little more. There is no history. We had to fight, we ain't friends; everything else is tactical.
PC: Do you remember what you said to him at the weigh-ins that sparked him to shove you?
PD: Nah, man, I'm not too sure. It all happened fast. He was just a little heated up.
PC: Right off of a spinning back fist, you clipped him with a nice equilibrium shot and then once he was off balance, you followed up with some nice hammer fists before the ref halted the action. Did you sense how badly he was hurt? Talk us through the finish.
PD: I was controlling the clinch, I felt, and could sense he wanted to break. I've got a set up for spinning techniques and that's what I used. He was still in punching range and I hit him with the left; that froze him and he was a sitting duck.
PC: It appeared you approached him afterwards to try and embrace, but it didn’t seem like he wanted any parts of it. Was that the case?
PD: He was still a little dazed. After the fight, though, he came to the changing room. We spoke. He's cool, man.
PC: Moving forward, a guy that said you turned down fights with him on several occasions, ironically, is the guy you called out after your win over Larkin; Michael “Venom” Page. Is that the fight you want next?
PD: No, it's not the next fight I want. It's a fight that's there. We'll see what happens, but he has nothing for me except "bad blood". He's an unproven fighter. Let's throw him to the lions. If there's anything left of him after that, then he's deserving of the fight with me. Look, I've been 16 years in this game, fought everyone, worked hard, wins and losses. Now I'm in a position where I have a say in who/when I fight. I can look at the landscape and plot a route. I'm good. The fight will happen. 2018? Yes. Next fight? No.
PC: It seems like everyone that you fight makes it very personal at some point. Page doesn’t seem like your best friend either. Is this part of your psychological warfare and mind games, to get these guys angry with you, or just par to the course on their behalf?
PD: Page is a grown man. He's also influenced a lot by the team around him. As I said, I plot my own route; I’m my own man. How he feels doesn't affect how I act. Everything has it's time, so will he.
PC: Page is a puzzle that no one has been able to figure out yet. How does Paul Daley not only go about figuring out that puzzle, but solving it as well?
PD: He has nothing to offer me. When we fight, I will KO him 1st or 2nd round.
PC: Has it been a frustrating process for you that when you reach that title, the fights just haven’t been going your way or are you still using it all as a learning process and taking it in stride?
PD: It's all learning. It's all a matter of making the right improvements and timing. Michael Bisping is a good example. You gotta keep going, man.
PC: Any takeaways from Mayweather-McGregor? Was it what you expected or much different than what you had anticipated?
PD: Nah, man; went the way I thought. Boxing is different. Really, some people just don't get it. You gotta grow with the sport, love it, spend a lot of time, years, a lifetime in the boxing gym to get it.
PC: It’s always great catching up with you. I hope we get to see you back in the Bellator cage very soon. Is there anything else you want to add before I let you go?
PD: Thanks always to you and the FightHype fans. Find me on Facebook via my website bigtko.com and spiritdojolegacy.co.uk.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]