Bellator is trying Paul Daley vs. Sabah Homasi once again.
The welterweight knockout artists, who have been scheduled to fight on multiple occasions, will (barring any unforeseen circumstances) finally square off April 16 at Bellator 257. The event takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena and airs on Showtime.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking Tuesday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Daley (42-17-2 MMA, 8-4 BMMA) and Homasi (15-8 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) were originally booked for Bellator 232 in October 2019. However, Homasi was injured and the fight was canceled.
Things got heated between Daley and Homasi at the weigh-ins for their first rebooking at Bellator 241 in March 2020. Less than 24 hours later, the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, so the matchup was once again scrapped.
According to a person with knowledge of the booking, Daley and Homasi were scheduled to be the main event of Bellator 247 in October. However, the bout fell through before the promotion made an official announcement and Homasi was replaced by Anderson. After Daley suffered an illness due to the weight cut, the fight was scrapped.
Both Daley and Homasi are coming off consecutive victories. Daley has won back-to-back fights against Erick Silva and Saad Awad. Homasi is riding a four-fight winning streak into the grudge match.
With the addition, the Bellator 257 lineup includes:
- Champion Vadim Nemkov vs. Phil Davis – for Bellator light heavyweight title, grand prix quarterfinal
- Anthony Johnson vs. Yoel Romero – grand prix quarterfinal
- Aiden Lee vs. Aaron Pico
- Paul Daley vs. Sabah Homasi
