Paul Daley hands out knockouts for fun, and his clash with Brennan Ward at Bellator 170 was no different.
The Nottingham fighter went into the bout with 28 knockouts on his professional record, and added his 29th with a spectacular flying knee to Ward’s face.
It’s fair to say that whatever you did over the weekend, you woke up feeling better than Ward did.
Paul Daley's flying knee did a real number on Brennen Ward's face. I'm going to go cry now. pic.twitter.com/ejauEYb6Eg
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) January 22, 2017
That injury was sustained in the first round of the bout, which looked like it could go either way. Ward scored a takedown, but was punished when both man were back on their feet, before a spinning elbow and a flying knee left the American needing a stretcher to leave the Octagon. Here’s the moment his eye was split.
Paul Daley def Brennan Ward via KO #Bellator170 pic.twitter.com/RSNxAZwJ0w
— Fancy Combat (@FancyCombat) January 22, 2017
And if you’re wondering just how hard the life of an MMA fighter is, just scroll back up and take another look at that picture. Ward’s ear, from years of competitive fighting, looks just as painful as his eye.