When a 25-year-old prizefighter scores the most publicly prominent victory of his flourishing career and then retires, the universal state of astonishment appears to be everlasting.
The furor that surrounds his return is merited. A native of Nottingham, England, Daley was in the hottest form of his career when he retired in February after knocking out TUF alum Sam Morgan (Pictures) in ShoXC. At the time he held three British welterweight titles, had a five-fight win streak and, in light of his transatlantic exploits, had positioned himself as one of the flag bearers of British MMA.
The question of why he would retire at such a promising point in his career was a mystery. Yet the decision, which was the boldest in Daley's life, came with no tinges of doubt or second thoughts.
"It wasn't a difficult decision to call time on my career," he said. "I owed it to myself to have time off and gather my thoughts."
The well-traveled Brit cites personal reasons as the main factor in his retirement. He didn't expect his move to stun the domestic or international MMA circuit.
"I didn't expect it to, not really, because it was a personal decision," Daley said.
The Englishman is embraced as one of the most charismatic characters in the fight game. His attacking verve and vibrancy, which has produced 12 knockouts in 17 victories, has endeared him to audiences around the world.
As one of the shining lights of the British scene, Daley has worked tenaciously to make breakthroughs in America and Japan. In fact, his success across the pond is well documented. The Rough House Gym star has recorded two of the most significant wins of his career in the United States -- a TKO victory of Duane Ludwig (Pictures) at Strikeforce last year and most recently his destruction of Sam Morgan in the headline bout at ProElite's feeder series, ShoXC.
His heralded wins over Ludwig and Morgan were impressive notches on a resume that also features signature wins over dangerous Frenchman Xavier Foupa-Pokam (Pictures) and the UFC's Jess Liaudin (Pictures).
Now Daley is set to add a new and stirring chapter to his compelling career. His much-anticipated comeback is scheduled for July 12 in his native Nottingham, England, at Cage Warrior's seventh installment of Enter the Rough House.
"I needed a fight. I needed something to bring about greater focus," Daley said. "I approached them [Cage Warriors]. They run a great show in my hometown, and a lot of my friends and family have never seen me fight live."
Daley's homecoming will also be his first bout in Britain since September 2007 and his first Cage Warriors outing since 2004. The Midlands-based organization, which burst onto the scene in 2002, has showcased some of the finest fighters on the continent and fast-tracked torrents of talent onto the international stage.
The likes of Martin Kampmann (Pictures), Antonio Silva, Gregory Bouchelaghem (Pictures), Michael Bisping (Pictures) and Dennis Siver (Pictures) all earned their stripes in Cage Warriors. The British promotion clearly has a keen eye for talent. It has seen a wealth of top names snatched up by Pride and the UFC over the years, but to Cage Warriors' credit, the event has reinvigorated its talent pool time and time again.
Daley's return is another boost for the promotion, and Cage Warriors officials are more than aware of what the highly decorated Englishman adds to a show.
"He brings excitement, a solid and marketable name, a great record and press and media attention," said Cage Warriors matchmaker Ian Dean. "He adds a little glitz and glamour and a lot of fans that we may not have necessarily reached out to in the past, as he's so popular."
To make the most of his comeback, Daley needed an opponent befitting of his class and stature. After thoroughly scouring the continent, Cage Warriors found its man in unbeaten Slovenian Bojan "Zelva" Kosednar.
Those who have gone up against Kosednar have found out that not only does he cut one of the meanest and most imposing figures in the game, but also he has the skills to take care of business in the cage. The Slovenian sports a 6-0 record with his latest and most notable victory coming against wily veteran Fabricio Nascimento (Pictures) (19-6-0) in May.
The task of matching up Daley may seem unenviable, but Cage Warriors is more than familiar with managing homegrown stars.
"He was difficult, but no more so than trying to match up the other top welterweights we have on our books such as Jim Wallhead (Pictures) and Matt Thorpe (Pictures) and previously Dan Hardy (Pictures)," Dean said. "A few people were put off by Daley's status and U.S. experience, but we also had other potential fighters ruled out by injury.
"I didn't want to give Daley a walkover. I wanted to make it a competitive bout and I think we have done that with a dangerous, unbeaten fighter. And to his credit, Daley leapt at the opportunity to fight him, and I think it has re-energized him as well."
Back in training in Nottingham, Daley is in good company. The Rough House Gym production line has also produced fellow 170-pound standouts Jim Wallhead and UFC-bound Dan Hardy -- Cage Warriors mainstays who have held a plethora of titles in Britain.
"Judo Jim" believes the time is right for teammate Daley to make his return.
"I think the time off has done him the world of good," Wallhead said. "He is happy and motivated again, and personally I can tell you he is hitting even harder too. Paul brings a lot of hype to everything he does. He is MMA's ‘Money Mayweather' and he can back it up with exciting, explosive action every outing."
The Rough House team has been putting Daley through his paces for five weeks, dusting down any lingering cobwebs.
"Things are going really well," Daley said. "My body is starting to remember things and my mind is getting sharp. I needed a fight that I could get motivated for at this time in my career -- a comeback as such, and this seems the perfect fight for me and the fans. Kosednar is a tough southpaw, fairly well rounded and a champion in his own country."
In addition to Kosednar, Daley has other bouts already lined up for later in the year. He is returning to MMA full time, and despite his six-month absence, he seems primed to once again reach the heights that have become so familiar to him.