Paul Daley Wants to Make History at Diaz vs. Daley

On Saturday night, Paul Daley could become the first Britain titleholder in a major MMA promotion in the history of MMA.

Britain has only had three fighters win on The Ultimate Fighter, and now Daley looks to become the first one to actually win and hold a major promotion's belt.

"People around me have brought that to my attention,” Daley said on MMAWeekly.com. "I’ve challenged for titles in the past, and again, this is an opportunity for me to be the first British mixed martial arts fighter to win a significant world title."

Daley was already close to holding a title once his career back in his UFC days. Daley faced off against Josh Koscheck to see who would be the No. 1 contender to fight Georges St-Pierre for his belt. Daley instead threw a cheap shot after the bell, was deducted a point, lost by unanimous decision and was then cut by the UFC.

But Daley has come a long way from his past and is fully aware of the history he can make.

"Yeah, I’m fully aware of it.  I’m training with that in mind," Daley said. "When people look back at the history of MMA and the history of British MMA fighters, they’ll remember me as being the first guy that won a major U.S. title.  And I’ll always be there in history.

"And legacy is something that a lot of people talk about, but I don’t think they really understand what it means to someone who believes in such a thing.  I really do want a legacy."

Daley faces off against tough welterweight Nick Diaz for the Strikeforce welterweight title on Saturday night. Diaz could prove deadly for Daley.

"I think Nick is one of the best boxers in MMA," Daley said. "Granted he doesn't have the sort of one punch knockout power that I have, but it’s proven that he’s had among the best [boxing] in MMA.  His distance, his timing, his range [are] that of a boxer.  He’s a fantastic striker.”