10 Precise Moments UFC Careers Ended
2. Paul Daley Loses Control
Paul Daley sucker-punching Josh Koscheck after their UFC 113 fight will always be mentioned among the most boneheaded moves in UFC history.
Their fight was likely a frustrating experience for Daley, who spent much of it trapped beneath Koscheck's suffocating top control. The grappler soundly outwrestled the striker throughout. Paul never had a chance to settle into a rhythm, with his opponent taking him down almost at will, completely neutralising his strengths. To make matters worse, Koscheck spent the entire fight talking smack to Daley while dominating him on the ground, compounding Paul's misery with sharp, pointed words that tipped the Englishman over the edge.
Daley struck Koscheck with a left hand after the bell. Josh smartly walked away, but Paul was done for. He was released immediately after the event, and blacklisted from the UFC outright, and while falling victim to 15 minutes of Koscheck's grinding wrestling style and his trash talk can't have been fun, there's no excuse for Daley's actions.
Perhaps if he'd controlled himself, Paul would still be with the UFC today: he remains a fun action fighter, but MMA's smaller stages are his home now.