“Semtex” cut down Ward with a brain-scrambling flying knee in the first round of their Bellator 170 co-main event on Saturday at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Daley brought it to a spectacular close 2:27 into Round 1, as he recorded his 10th win in 12 appearances and rebounded from his July 16 decision defeat to current Bellator MMA welterweight champion Douglas Lima.
Ward became the latest in a long line of Daley victims. The Englishman staggered Ward twice during two of their earlier exchanges, first with an overhand right and later with a left hook. Daley then conceded two takedowns before resuming his assault on the feet. A spinning back elbow jarred the onetime NCAA All-American wrestler and afforded Daley the space he needed to execute the finish. He went airborne on the backpedaling Ward, his knee striking the New London, Connecticut, native on the side of the head. He hit the deck unconscious, with no need for follow-up blows. Afterward, Ward was stretchered out of the cage as a precautionary measure.
In the wake of Bellator 170, here are four matches that ought to be made:
Paul Daley vs. Rory MacDonald: Daley went big-game hunting following his devastating finish on Ward, placing MacDonald in his crosshairs. While the former Cage Rage champion has his flaws, no one can deny the considerable skills he brings to the table. Daley, 33, now owns a 5-1 record in Bellator, with four of those victories resulting in knockouts. MacDonald has not fought since suffering back-to-back defeats to Stephen Thompson and Robbie Lawler in the Ultimate Fighting Championship -- five-round battles that added untold mileage to his odometer. The Tristar Gym standout signed a free-agent contract with Bellator on Aug. 26.
Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Goiti Yamauchi: Enjoying a slow but steady climb on Bellator’s featherweight ladder, Sanchez improved to 6-2 with the promotion with his majority decision over former World Series of Fighting and Tachi Palace Fights champion Georgi Karakhanyan. The Roufusport prospect withstood a second-round point deduction for an illegal knee strike to earn 28-27 nods from two of the three cageside judges, as he bounced back from a split decision loss to onetime M-1 Global titleholder Daniel Weichel in July. Sanchez still has never suffered back-to-back defeats as a professional. Yamauchi, 24, last fought at Bellator 168 on Dec. 10, when he submitted Valeriu Mircea with a first-round triangle choke.
Hisaki Kato vs. John Salter: Kato tried and largely failed to make the best of a difficult situation, as he took a unanimous verdict from the returning Ralek Gracie. Neither man was eager to engage the other, with Kato wary of being lured into a ground battle and Gracie hesitant in the face of a far superior striker. Together, they made forgettable music across three rounds before the judges awarded Kato 29-28, 29-28 and 29-28 scorecards. It marked the first time he had gone the distance in 10 professional bouts. Salter has compiled an 8-1 mark and enjoyed something of a resurgence since leaving the UFC in 2010. His run includes an upset victory over former Bellator middleweight champion Brandon Halsey.
Derek Campos vs. David Rickels-Aaron Derrow winner: Campos might be Bellator’s best-kept secret. The 28-year-old former King of the Cage champion extended his winning streak to three fights with a hard-fought unanimous decision over Derek Anderson on the main card, further distancing himself from his consecutive losses to Michael Chandler and Brandon Girtz in 2015. His recent success notwithstanding, Campos still has much to prove in the line that has formed behind Chandler, Benson Henderson and Josh Thomson at 155 pounds. Rickels and Derrow will square off in the Bellator 171 co-main event on Jan. 27 in Mulvane, Kansas.