Paul Daley Pulled from Bellator 163 Main Card After Tough Weight Cut

Tonight’s Bellator 163 main card has taken another hit, as Paul Daley has been removed from the event following a difficult weight cut.

Sherdog.com confirmed Daley's exit with a promotion official on Friday following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. Daley was scheduled to face Derek Anderson in a welterweight duel on the Spike-TV televised portion of the card. It is currently unclear which fight will be elevated to the four-bout main draw.

"After a difficult weight cut, we, along with Mike Mazzulli from the Mohegan Athletic Commission, made the decision to pull Paul Daley from tonight's event as a precautionary measure," Bellator president Scott Coker said in a statement. "Fighter safety is of the utmost importance to us here at Bellator.”

Daley’s withdrawal marks the second bout to be scrapped from the Bellator 163 main card in two days. On Thursday, a main card featherweight clash between Marloes Coenen and Talita Nogueira was nixed when Nogueira missed weight badly. Anderson, like Coenen, will receive his show money for the proposed bout.

Daley, who has struggled with weight cut issues in the past, tipped the scales at 171 pounds on Thursday. The 33-year-old British slugger last appeared at Bellator 158, where he dropped a unanimous verdict to Douglas Lima on July 16.

Bellator 163 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and is headlined by a light heavyweight championship tilt between Liam McGeary and Phil Davis.