Daniel Thomas Kelly (born 31 October 1977) is an Australian former judoka[4] and mixed martial artist. Known for his unconventional style, the four-time judo Olympian formerly competed in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) between 2014 and 2018.[5]

Background and judo career

Kelly began competing in judo when he was 7 and competed at his first Australian Championships when he was 13.[6] He made the junior national team in 1994 where he competed at the Junior World Championships and went on to make the senior national team two years later.[6] Kelly has been Australian Champion on nine occasions.[6]

Kelly is the only Judo competitor to have been selected to fight for Australia in four different Olympic games.[6] He most recently competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the -100 kg event.[7]

He was the Judo coach for the Australian team at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2020 Japan Olympics.[8][9]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Kelly made his professional MMA debut in July 2006. He remained out of competition for the next six and a half years due to judo commitments.

Australian Fighting Championship and local MMA

Kelly returned to the sport in December 2012. Over the next eight months, he improved his record to 5 wins with no losses. Kelly again returned to action in the Australian Fighting Championship (AFC) in May 2014, at AFC 9, defeating Ben Kelleher via second round submission.[10] Kelly was twice slated to fight Steven Kennedy for the vacant AFC middleweight belt in 2013 at AFC 7 and 2014 at AFC 10, but was forced to withdraw due to The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia commitments in 2013[11] and due to injury in 2014.[12]

The Ultimate Fighter

In December 2013, it was announced that Kelly was selected as one of the fighters to represent Australia for the upcoming The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia.[13] Kelly was defeated by eventual middleweight runner-up Sheldon Westcott via first round submission.[14]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

2014

Kelly made his UFC debut against Luke Zachrich on 8 November 2014 at UFC Fight Night 55.[15] Kelly was victorious, winning by submission due to a kimura.

In his second bout for the promotion, Kelly faced Patrick Walsh on 14 February 2015 at UFC Fight Night 60.[16] He won the fight by unanimous decision.

2015

Kelly faced Sam Alvey on 10 May 2015 at UFC Fight Night 65.[17] He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.[18]

Kelly was expected to face Ricardo Abreu on 15 November 2015 at UFC 193.[19] However, Abreu pulled out of the fight in late September and was replaced by Steve Montgomery.[20] Kelly won the fight by unanimous decision.[21]

2016

Kelly faced Antônio Carlos Júnior on 20 March 2016 at UFC Fight Night 85.[22] Kelly won the bout via TKO in the third round.[23]

Kelly next faced Chris Camozzi on 27 November 2016 at UFC Fight Night 101.[24] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[25]

2017

Kelly faced Rashad Evans on 4 March 2017 at UFC 209.[26] He won the back-and-forth fight by split decision.[27]

Kelly faced Derek Brunson on 11 June 2017 at UFC Fight Night 110.[28] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.[29]

Kelly faced Elias Theodorou on 19 November 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura.[30] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[31]

2018

Kelly faced Tom Breese on 27 May 2018 at UFC Fight Night 130.[32] He lost the fight via technical knock out in round one.[33] Kelly became a free agent after the fight.[34]

Championships and accomplishments

Judo

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
17 matches 13 wins 4 losses
By knockout 3 3
By submission 5 0
By decision 5 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 13–4 Tom Breese TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Till 27 May 2018 1 3:33 Liverpool, England
Loss 13–3 Elias Theodorou Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura 19 November 2017 3 5:00 Sydney, Australia
Loss 13–2 Derek Brunson KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Hunt 11 June 2017 1 1:16 Auckland, New Zealand
Win 13–1 Rashad Evans Decision (split) UFC 209 4 March 2017 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 12–1 Chris Camozzi Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson 27 November 2016 3 5:00 Melbourne, Australia
Win 11–1 Antônio Carlos Júnior TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Mir 20 March 2016 3 1:36 Brisbane, Australia
Win 10–1 Steve Montgomery Decision (unanimous) UFC 193 15 November 2015 3 5:00 Melbourne, Australia
Loss 9–1 Sam Alvey TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Miocic vs. Hunt 10 May 2015 1 0:49 Adelaide, Australia
Win 9–0 Patrick Walsh Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Thatch 14 February 2015 3 5:00 Broomfield, Colorado, United States Catchweight (191.5 lbs) bout; Walsh missed weight.
Win 8–0 Luke Zachrich Submission (kimura) UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Bisping 8 November 2014 1 4:27 Sydney, Australia
Win 7–0 Ben Kelleher Submission (rear-naked choke) Australian Fighting Championship 9 17 May 2014 2 3:41 Albury, Australia
Win 6–0 Bor Bratovž KO (punch) Australian Fighting Championship 6 24 August 2013 2 1:42 Melbourne, Australia AFC Middleweight Tournament Semifinal.
Win 5–0 Daniel Way Submission (armbar) Shamrock Events: NOM 7 22 June 2013 1 Melbourne, Australia
Win 4–0 Chris Birch Submission (rear naked choke) Australian Fighting Championship 5 10 May 2013 1 3:36 Melbourne, Australia Middleweight debut. AFC Middleweight Tournament Quarterfinal.
Win 3–0 Kym Robinson Submission (rear naked choke) MMA Down Under 3 16 March 2013 1 1:17 Findon, Australia
Win 2–0 Fabio Galeb Decision (unanimous) Australian Fighting Championship 4 12 December 2012 3 5:00 Melbourne, Australia
Win 1–0 Ross Dallow TKO (thrown from the ring) Dojo KO - Second Elimination 22 July 2006 2 N/A Melbourne, Australia

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 0–1 Sheldon Westcott Submission (arm-triangle choke) The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia February 19, 2014 (airdate) 1 0:56 Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Quarter-finals

See also

References

  1. ^ http://boxing.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/boxingnvgov/content/results/2017_Results/03-04-17MMA.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  2. ^ "Trainers". resiliencetrainingcentre.com. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Dan Kelly - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  4. ^ "Sports reference profile". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  5. ^ "UFC Fighter Rankings". Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Daniel Kelly". london2012.olympics.com.au. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  7. ^ "London 2012 profile". London2012.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  8. ^ "Meet our team: Daniel Kelly". Resilience Training Centre. Archived from the original on 17 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  9. ^ "Dan Keey to take time off UFC to coach Australia". Fight Live TV. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  10. ^ "AFC 9 Dan Kelly Vs Ben Kelleher Live Blog". 17 May 2014. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  11. ^ Chris. "Australian Fighting Championships 7 Preview". Australian MMA News, Reviews, Interviews & Results. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  12. ^ Mike. "Saturday night's Australian Fighting Championship 10 fight card and LIVE STREAM details". Australian MMA News, Reviews, Interviews & Results. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  13. ^ "Report: TUF Nations cast announced". bloodyelbow.com. 3 December 2013.
  14. ^ Chris. "TUF Nations: Episode 6 Recap - Sheldon Westcott submits Daniel Kelly". Australian MMA News, Reviews, Interviews & Results. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  15. ^ "Daniel Kelly vs. Luke Zachrich added to UFC Fight Night 55". MMAjunkie. 11 September 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  16. ^ C.J. Tuttle (11 December 2014). "Patrick Walsh-Daniel Kelly Added to UFC Fight Night in Colorado". sherdog.com.
  17. ^ Peter Theodosiou (12 March 2015). "Daniel Kelly aims to settle score with Sam Alvey at UFC Adelaide card". heraldsun.com. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  18. ^ Steven Marrocco (9 May 2015). "UFC Fight Night 65 results: Sam Alvey lights up Daniel Kelly for first-round TKO". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  19. ^ Larissa Nicholson (19 August 2015). "UFC to bring cage fighting to Etihad Stadium". smh.com.au. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  20. ^ Tristen Critchfield (23 September 2015). "Steve Montgomery replaces Ricardo Abreu, meets Daniel Kelly at UFC 193". sherdog.com. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  21. ^ Matt Erickson (14 November 2015). "UFC 193 results: Strong early, Daniel Kelly takes decision from Steve Montgomery". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  22. ^ Liam Ducey (19 January 2016). "UFC Brisbane gets four more fights". smh.com.au. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  23. ^ Steven Marrocco (19 March 2016). "UFC Fight Night 85 results: Daniel Kelly mounts comeback, upsets Antonio Carlos Junior". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  24. ^ Tristen Critchfield (21 September 2016). "Chris Camozzi booked to face Daniel Kelly at UFC Fight Night in Melbourne". sherdog.com. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  25. ^ Steven Marrocco (27 November 2016). "UFC Fight Night 101 results: Bloodied Daniel Kelly grinds way to decision over Chris Camozzi". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  26. ^ Jesse Holland (1 February 2017). "Rashad Evans vs. Dan Kelly set for UFC 209 in Las Vegas". mmamania.com. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  27. ^ Dave Doyle (4 March 2017). "UFC 209 results: Dan Kelly grinds out decision over Rashad Evans". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  28. ^ Themistoklis Alexis (20 March 2017). "Brunson-Kelly targeted for UFC Auckland". thescore.com. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  29. ^ Ben Fowlkes (11 June 2017). "UFC Fight Night 110 results: Derek Brunson finishes Daniel Kelly in 1st round with straight left". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  30. ^ Alex Oates (8 September 2017). "Dan Kelly secures UFC Sydney bout against Canada's Elias Theodorou". news.com.au. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  31. ^ "UFC Fight Night 121 results: Elias Theodorou outworks Daniel Kelly for unanimous decision". MMAjunkie. 19 November 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  32. ^ Staff (16 March 2018). "Sorry, Dublin: UFC heading to Liverpool for first time for UFC Fight Night 130". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  33. ^ "UFC Fight Night 130 results: Tom Breese phenomenal in return from long layoff, stops Daniel Kelly in first". MMAjunkie. 27 May 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  34. ^ Fernanda Prates (11 August 2018). "Daniel Kelly has a plea for one last UFC bout, it involves his son – and we're not crying, you are". mmajunkie.com.
  35. ^ "Daniel Kelly at Sports-reference.com". www.sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2014.

External links