Tony Kelley Explained

Tony Kelley
Birth Date:21 January 1987
Birth Place:Shreveport, Louisiana, United States
Weight Lb:135
Weight Class:Bantamweight
Reach:70 in[1]
Fighting Out Of:Shreveport, Louisiana
Team:Team Alpha Male
Years Active:2012–present
Mma Kowin:3
Mma Subwin:3
Mma Decwin:2
Mma Koloss:1
Mma Decloss:2
Sherdog:57658

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.

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 . 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 . He won the bout via unanimous decision.[7]

Kelley was scheduled to face Trevin Jones on July 24, 2021, at .[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 Yañez 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 Yañez.[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

Legal troubles

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 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

|Loss|align=center|8–3|Adrian Yañez|TKO (punches)|||align=center|1|align=center|3:49|Austin, Texas, United States||-| Win| align=center|8–2| Randy Costa| TKO (elbows)|UFC 269|| align=center|2| align=center|4:15|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-| Win| align=center|7–2| Ali AlQaisi|Decision (unanimous)|||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates||-| Loss| align=center| 6–2| Kai Kamaka III|Decision (unanimous)|UFC 252|| align=center| 3| align=center| 5:00|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-| Win| align=center| 6–1| Andy Brossett| Submission (guillotine choke)|Rite of Passage 7| | align=center|1| align=center|2:33| Bossier City, Louisiana, United States| |-| Loss| align=center| 5–1| Kevin Aguilar|Decision (split)|Legacy FC 57||align=center|5|align=center|5:00|Bossier City, Louisiana, United States||-| Win| align=center| 5–0| Levi Mowles| Decision (split)| Legacy Kickboxing 2| |align=center|3|align=center|5:00| Shreveport, Louisiana, United States| |-| Win| align=center| 4–0| Jordan Winski| Submission (rear-naked choke)| World Fighting Federation 19| | align=center| 3| align=center| 4:08| Tucson, Arizona, United States| |-| Win| align=center| 3–0| Chris Pham|Technical Submission (shoulder choke)|Legacy FC 32||align=center|2|align=center|4:58|Shreveport, Louisiana, United States| |-| Win| align=center| 2–0| Kody Thrasher| TKO (punches)| Hilia Fights 1| | align=center| 1| align=center| 3:37| Kenner, Louisiana, United States||-| Win| align=center| 1–0| Sean Marsicane| TKO (punches)| Coalition of Combat| | align=center| 1| align=center| 2:30| Phoenix, Arizona, United States|[21]

See also

Notes and References

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

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