(“Semtex” makes sure photographers get a shot of his good fist.)

As you may have already forgotten, Elite XC’s next show on CBS is now less than a month away. They don’t seem too concerned with stuff like advertising or hyping it in the press, and are apparently relying on the Kimbo Slice-Ken Shamrock buzz to carry them through without much promotion. Kind of a ‘If you build a squash match, they will come’ type of attitude.

But thank God for Paul Daley. The now-I’m-retired-now-I’m-not UK fighter seems to be the only one really putting some effort into selling this thing. When discussing his bout with Elite XC welterweight champ Jake Shields, “Semtex” was, shall we say, forthcoming with his opinions:

He won’t remember much…just waking up I guess. I’m gonna be real mean in this fight, fuck Jake Shields, you’re going to see. I am stronger, I hit harder, I take punishment and he will not take me down, or hold me there for long if I make a mistake. This is gonna be a shock to those Jake Shields nut huggers. Once I am in that top ten, I’m coming after everyone above me….

I’m so pumped for the fight that I feel something is gonna go wrong, like he is gonna pull out or something…scared…I would if I was him. He don’t know what’s coming.

Fuck Jake Shields. I’m gonna crush him, and give him such a brutal knock out, he better be fucking scared. Or even better let him not, let him laugh and think I’m talking shit. Give me even more motivation.

There’s something about saying that you plan to be “real mean” in a fight that seems both redundant and effective. For one, that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Punching someone in the face with the intent to hurt them, that’s pretty mean to begin with. But on the other hand, picture Jake Shields waking up after being knocked out and saying to himself, ‘Man, that guy is just mean! What the hell’s his problem?’

Or picture Shields taking him down and submitting him. Whichever you prefer. At least Daley is getting people talking about the fight. That’s a step in the right direction.