Tony Kelley

Tony Kelley (born January 21, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division. A professional since 2012, he most notably competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Tony Kelley
Born (1987-01-21) January 21, 1987
Shreveport, Louisiana, United States
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb)
DivisionBantamweight
Reach70 in (178 cm)[1]
Fighting out ofShreveport, Louisiana
TeamTeam Alpha Male
Years active2012–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total11
Wins8
By knockout3
By submission3
By decision2
Losses3
By knockout1
By decision2
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

As he entered his teen years, Kelley described his life as diverging into questionable decisions made to impress others while trying to be like others. After a while, friends and family members became concerned, and a friend encouraged the then-19-year-old Kelley to get involved in a local jiu-jitsu class to provide some structure.[2]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In 2012, Kelley was one of the young MMA fighters featured in Caged - an MTV reality television series. The show focused on four prospective MMA fighters in small-town Louisiana. Kelley was one of the two fighters on the show, alongside Matt Schnell, to later fight professionally.[3]

After going professional in September 2012, Kelley would go on to have a 6–1 record on the regional scene, losing his only bout in a close split decision to fellow future UFC fighter Kevin Aguilar.[4]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Kelley made his UFC debut against Kai Kamaka III at UFC 252 on August 15, 2020. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.[5] This bout earned him a Fight of the Night bonus award [6]

Kelley faced Ali AlQaisi on October 11, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen. He won the bout via unanimous decision.[7]

Kelley was scheduled to face Trevin Jones on July 24, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw.[8][9] However, on July 4, Kelly withdrew from the bout due to unknown reasons.[10][11]

Kelley faced Randy Costa on December 11, 2021, at UFC 269.[12] He won the fight via TKO in the second round.[13]

Kelley faced Adrian Yanez on June 18, 2022 at UFC on ESPN 37.[14] At the weigh-ins on June 17, Kelley weighed in at 137.5 pounds, one-and-a-half pounds over the non-title bantamweight limit. As a result, the bout proceeded as a catchweight and Kelley forfeited 20% of his purse to Yanez.[15] He lost the bout in the first round via TKO stoppage.[16]

On July 7, 2022, it was announced that Kelley was no longer on the roster.[17]

Championships and accomplishments

In March 2012, Kelley was charged with simple battery due to a nightclub scuffle in which he allegedly choked a woman for not wanting to dance with him. He was eventually found not guilty.[18]

Controversies

Kelley caused controversy at UFC on ESPN: Błachowicz vs. Rakić on May 14, 2022 while cornering Andrea Lee in her fight against Brazilian opponent Viviane Araújo. Referring to an alleged eye poke by Araújo, Kelley said: "That’s what they’re going to do, they’re dirty fucking Brazilians, they’re going to fucking cheat like that."[19] In response to criticism of the comment, Kelley released a statement on Twitter denying any "racist connotations" and claiming to be a victim of "cancel culture".[20]

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
11 matches 8 wins 3 losses
By knockout 3 1
By submission 3 0
By decision 2 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 8–3 Adrian Yanez TKO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Emmett June 18, 2022 1 3:49 Austin, Texas, United States Catchweight (137.5 lb) bout; Kelley missed weight.
Win 8–2 Randy Costa TKO (elbows) UFC 269 December 11, 2021 2 4:15 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 7–2 Ali AlQaisi Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen October 11, 2020 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Bantamweight debut.
Loss 6–2 Kai Kamaka III Decision (unanimous) UFC 252 August 15, 2020 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Win 6–1 Andy Brossett Submission (guillotine choke) Rite of Passage 7 May 17, 2019 1 2:33 Bossier City, Louisiana, United States
Loss 5–1 Kevin Aguilar Decision (split) Legacy FC 57 July 1, 2016 5 5:00 Bossier City, Louisiana, United States For the vacant Legacy FC Featherweight Championship.
Win 5–0 Levi Mowles Decision (split) Legacy Kickboxing 2 May 29, 2015 3 5:00 Shreveport, Louisiana, United States
Win 4–0 Jordan Winski Submission (rear-naked choke) World Fighting Federation 19 February 21, 2015 3 4:08 Tucson, Arizona, United States
Win 3–0 Chris Pham Technical Submission (shoulder choke) Legacy FC 32 June 20, 2014 2 4:58 Shreveport, Louisiana, United States
Win 2–0 Kody Thrasher TKO (punches) Hilia Fights 1 April 26, 2013 1 3:37 Kenner, Louisiana, United States
Win 1–0 Sean Marsicane TKO (punches) Coalition of Combat September 15, 2012 1 2:30 Phoenix, Arizona, United States Featherweight debut.

[21]

See also

References
  1. "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com.
  2. "Fight Path: Tony Kelley continues career after MTV reality show". MMA Junkie. 2013-04-25. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  3. III, Roy Lang. "Former Shreve student's UFC dreams begin Wednesday". The Times. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  4. "MMA Legacy Fighting Championship returns to Shreveport". www.ksla.com. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  5. Bitter, Shawn (2020-08-15). "UFC 252 Results: Body Work Helps Kai Kamaka III Get Past Tony Kelley". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  6. Stephie Haynes (2020-08-16). "UFC 252 post-fight bonuses: Jandiroba's armbar of Herrig earns POTN honors". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  7. Doherty, Dan (2020-10-10). "UFC Fight Island 5 Results: Tony Kelley Wins Wild Fight Against Ali AlQiasi". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  8. Alex Behunin (2021-04-16). "Trevin Jones vs. Tony Kelley set for July 24 UFC fight card". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  9. Marcel Dorff (2021-04-16). "Cameron Else and Aaron Phillips look for first UFC win on July 17". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2021-04-17. (in Dutch)
  10. Afnan Chougle (2021-07-04). "Tony Kelley withdraws from the fight against Trevin Jones on July 24. UFC is still searching for a replacement". essentiallysports.com. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  11. Farah Hannoun (2021-07-15). "With Cameron Else out, Aaron Phillips targeted to meet Trevin Jones at UFC on ESPN 27". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  12. DNA, MMA (2021-09-04). "Randy Costa vs. Tony Kelley toegevoegd aan UFC 269 op 11 december". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  13. Behunin, Alex (2021-12-11). "UFC 269: Tony Kelley Smashes Randy Costa for Second Round TKO Win". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
  14. Harvey Leonard (2022-05-11). "Adrian Yanez vs. Tony Kelley Set For UFC Austin On June 18". mmanews.com. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
  15. Alexander K. Lee (June 17, 2022). "UFC Austin weigh-in results: Donald Cerrone set for 38th UFC fight, Tony Kelley misses". mmafighting.com. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  16. Anderson, Jay (18 June 2022). "UFC Austin: Adrian Yanez Pieces Up Tony Kelley, Ends Heated Fight Early". Cageside Press. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  17. Cruz, Guilherme (7 July 2022). "Tony Kelley no longer on UFC roster following TKO loss to Adrian Yanez". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  18. Massoud, Justin. "Shreveport 'Caged' Star Tony Kelley Found Not Guilty of Simple Battery". News Radio 710 KEEL. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  19. "Fighters criticize Tony Kelley's 'dirty f*cking Brazilians' comment while cornering Andrea Lee at UFC on ESPN 36". MMA Junkie. 2022-05-15. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  20. Lee, Alexander K. (2022-05-15). "UFC fighter Tony Kelley responds after backlash from corner comments during Andrea Lee fight, blames 'cancel culture'". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  21. Sherdog.com. "Tony Kelley". Sherdog.
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