Paul Daley pulled from Bellator MMA's season eight tourney after arrest on assault charges

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Bellator MMA had hoped to kick off their first season on Spike TV by incorporating fans into their season eight welterweight tournament. Unfortunately, neither of the two fighters who received the most fan votes will competing in the field.

The fan vote would have put British welterweight Paul Daley against War Machine in the opening bout of Bellator's first Spike TV show, but an injury to War Machine put that on hold. Now, Daley has been pulled from the tournament as well.

According to a report from Josh Gross at ESPN.com, Daley's tumultuous MMA career hit another snag as he has been arrested on assault charges stemming from a bar fight. Per the report, he's been barred from entering the United States, and faces up to two years in prison with the charges.

It's another major setback for Daley, who was released from his UFC contract in 2010 after sucker punching opponent Josh Koscheck after the bell at UFC 113. However, despite the pending charges, Irish MMA site SevereMMA.com reports that Daley will return to action in Dublin at Cage Contenders 16 on February 23. No opponent is yet set, but his manager says they are looking at four former UFC vets for the fight.

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Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_15412.shtml

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