Josh Koscheck vs. Paul Daley slated to collide at UFC 113
by Mitch Ciccarelli on January 16, 2010

After scoring back-to-back knockout victories over Martin Kampmann and Dustin Hazelett, British kickboxing sensation Paul "Semtex" Daley requested a bout with a top five contender in his next trip to the Octagon. It seems that Daley's wishes have been granted. MMAJunkie.com reported that a match up between Daley and Josh Koscheck is being discussed for UFC 113 in Montreal.

Koscheck is widely regarded as one of the top fighters in the division, and arguably the true number one contender to the welterweight title. The All-American wrestler is coming off of an impressive submission victory over Anthony Johnson at UFC 106 and was scheduled to battle Paulo Thiago in a rematch from a February 2009 bout at the upcoming UFC 109 card. An undisclosed injury forced "Kos" out of the event. His teammate Mike Swick took his place against Thiago.

It is currently unknown if Koscheck's injury is fully healed and if he will be ready to fight in May, but it seems that he has verbally agreed to take on Daley.

Daley has seen his stock rise tremendously in the UFC's 170-lbs. division. His ruthless striking base has shot him up the welterweight ladder faster than any fighter in recent history, and a victory over a fighter of Koscheck's caliber could easily put "Semtex" into title contention.

However, Daley's stand up success against Kampmann and Hazelett has blinded fans to his grappling weaknesses. Daley has been defeated in the past by better grapplers, such as Jake Shields and Nick Thompson. While he has tightened up his takedown and submission defense, it is still a weakness that NCAA All-American wrestling champ, Koscheck, will look to exploit.

Despite a stunning knockout defeat at the hands of the aforementioned Thiago at UFC 95, Koscheck is extremely close to a title shot. If he were able to ground-and-pound his way to a victory over a knockout machine such as Daley, then surely he can make a case for a rematch with welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, or a bout against Dan Hardy, if Hardy upsets St. Pierre at UFC 111.

UFC 113 is set to take place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on May 1. Rumored to headline the card will be a light-heavyweight title rematch between champion, Lyoto Machida, and challenger, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

Make sure to check back with us the day of the event for free, live, round-by-round coverage of UFC 113 right here at FiveKnuckles.com! Join expert analyst Mike Williams as he takes you through the entire fight card blow-by-blow and then keep it right here for all the post-fight news and notes you can handle!

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