According to reports first published by The Sun, UFC welterweight newcomer, Paul "Semtex" Daley, 26, will fill in for injured Mike Swick against fellow welterweight contender Martin Kampmann at UFC 103 on September 19th, in Dallas, TX.
Swick, 30, recently suffered a minor concussion in training and apparently will be unable to compete in two weeks against Kampmann, 26. The injury comes as a disappointment to fans and MMA analysts alike who had been anticipating the No. 1 contender showdown in the welterweight division as I'm sure it does to the entire Swick camp.
The winner was set to face Welterweight Champion and renowned No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the World, Georges St.-Pierre for the title. With so much on the line, it sure comes as a shock that a mere minor concussion is going to sideline Swick.
It is a disappointment, no doubt, but the show must go on as they say. Kampmann (15-2) will now face Daley and there is currently no word yet on whether a win for Daley will mean a title shot as well.
Rising British star, Daley will be making his UFC debut at 103. He previously fought in EliteXC before coming over to the UFC after the promotion folded. He had been scheduled to fight Brian Foster and there is no word yet on Foster's future opponent for the event.
Swick confirmed the news of his injury on his Twitter account. "I got foot swept while sparring this week and lost my legs.
"I landed on back of my head and neck and suffered a pretty bad concussion. I am out of UFC 103. It sucks and I am sorry guys..."
This news is terrible for Swick. He had a real legitimate shot at beating Kampmann and thus propel himself into a title fight with the dominant GSP and into the limelight. Now he's injured and forced to watch another fighter given the opportunity that he had from the sidelines. A Daley/Kampmann showdown looks a lot like the Kampmann/McFedries bout that took place in way back at UFC 68. Despite the amount of time between the fights, McFedries and Daley present a very similar skill set as well as challenges for the "Hit Man". Will Kampmann still be granted a title shot with a win over Daley? Or will Daley pull off the upset and earn himself a shot at GSP? Will GSP be sitting for longer than the UFC wants? We shall find out soon.
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