Paul Daley could lose Strikeforce title shot with Feb. 26 BAMMA defeat

Right now, Paul Daley is Strikeforce's contender-in-waiting and will get a title shot against the winner of Saturday's championship fight between welterweight titleholder Nick Diaz and challenger Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos.

But Daley could lose that title shot if he suffers a loss on Feb. 26.

That's when, MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed, Daley (26-9-2, MMA, 2-0 SF) fights Yuya Shirai (20-8 MMA, 0-0 SF) for a vacant welterweight belt at BAMMA 5, an event that takes place in his native U.K.

"Fighters Only" first reported the fight this past week.

During a media call today, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker was asked about that fight. While the organization allows some fighters to sign non-exclusive deals and compete in outside organizations, that fight could affect Daley's future in Strikeforce.

Coker said a win at the BAMMA show will keep Daley next in line for the title shot.

And a loss?

"The deck gets reshuffled," he said.

After a three-year break from Strikeforce, Daley returned to the organization in December and scored a violent first-round knockout of Scott Smith. It marked his seventh win in his past eight fights and the sixth via stoppage. The lone loss came to Josh Koscheck at UFC 113, where a post-fight suckerpunch cost Daley his contract with the organization.

Up next is Shirai, an eight-year Japanese vet who's competed for organizations such as DREAM, DEEP and M-1 Global. He enters the BAMMA title fight with five straight wins and eight victories in his past nine fights.