Paul Anthony Kelly (born 12 September 1984) is a retired

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who is best known for his nine-fight stint in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. Kelly was sentenced to thirteen years in prison for heroin trafficking in 2013. He was released in 2019.

Mixed martial arts career

Background

Coming from an amateur boxer family, Kelly grew up in boxing gyms and got in a lot of altercations in his youth. He was expelled from school and never completed his education. Kelly started out his mixed martial arts career in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, England at the Wolfslair MMA academy which was once home to

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

3 winner

Michael Bisping Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping (; born 28 February 1979) is an English actor, sports analyst, commentator and retired mixed martial artist, who competed in the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight division of the UFC. A professional competitor ...

. However, he later moved across town to

Team Kaobon Team Kaobon, which was formerly known as ''Fighters and Fitness'' is a mixed martial arts team from Liverpool, England. "Team Kaobon" is well known for being the training camp of multiple English lightweight fighters based in the Ultimate Fight ...

, home of former UFC lightweight

Terry Etim Terry is a unisex given name, derived from French Thierry and Theodoric. It can also be used as a diminutive nickname for the names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence or Terrier (masculine). People Male * Terry Albritton (1955–2005), Am ...

and retired UFC lightweight Paul Taylor.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

He made his UFC debut at UFC 80: Rapid Fire, where he won a decision victory over his opponent Paul Taylor. Kelly and Taylor were both awarded $35,000 as a bonus for ''Fight of the Night''. The fight was ranked #100 on UFC's Ultimate 100 Greatest Fights. Kelly was scheduled to fight

Jonathan Goulet Jonathan Goulet (born July 13, 1979) is a retired French Canadian mixed martial artist. A professional from 2001 until 2010, Goulet fought in the UFC. He earned his nickname, "The Road Warrior," after taking a fight on very short notice, traveli ...

UFC 85 ''UFC 85: Bedlam'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on June 7, 2008, at The O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom. Background The card was plagued by a number of injuries sustained by scheduled fight ...

, but Goulet pulled out citing a lack of preparation. Before another opponent was found, Kelly himself had to withdraw from the event after injuring his right hand during training. Kelly was defeated by

Marcus Davis Marcus Paul Davis (born August 24, 1973), is an American professional mixed martial artist and former professional boxer who is perhaps best known for competing in the UFC. A professional MMA competitor from 2003 until 2014, Davis also compete ...

via submission at

UFC 89 ''UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on October 18, 2008, at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Background The event was headlined by a middleweight b ...

. Kelly defeated

Troy Mandaloniz ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra'' was the sixth season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter'', and premiered on September 19, 2007 on Spike TV, after ''UFC Fight ...

UFC 95 ''UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on February 21, 2009 at The O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom. Background The event was broadcast live for viewers in Europe and ...

. Kelly battered Mandaloniz from top position throughout the fight. He opened cuts above both of Mandaloniz's eyes with elbows and punches. The judges scored the fight (30–27, 30–27, 30–28) for a unanimous decision for Kelly. After the fight with Mandaloniz, Kelly announced he was moving from welterweight to lightweight. Kelly said he wanted to make the drop after leaving the division on a winning note. Kelly fought

Rolando Delgado Rolando Delgado (born November 22, 1981) is an American mixed martial arts trainer and a former mixed martial artist. He has fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and Bellator Fighting Championships. He was a cast member on The Ultimate ...

UFC 99 ''UFC 99: The Comeback'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on June 13, 2009 in Cologne, Germany. Background This event was the first UFC event held in Germany, as well as the first in mainland Europe ...

Cologne, Germany Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 million ...

. This was his first fight at

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

. Kelly defeated Roli after going all three rounds giving Kelly the unanimous decision victory. Kelly lost his fight against

Dennis Siver Dennis D. Siver (Russian: Дмитрий Сивер, tr. Dmitriy Siver, born January 13, 1979) is a Russian-born German mixed martial artist who competed in the welterweight, lightweight, and featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Champio ...

UFC 105 ''UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on November 14, 2009 in Manchester, United Kingdom at the Manchester Evening News Arena. This event aired on the same day, via tape de ...

after having his ribs injured by a spinning back kick and getting hit by punches from Siver. This was his first fight under Team Kaobon. Kelly revealed afterwards that his ribs had already been damaged going into the fight, a by-product of the notoriously hard-contact sparring sessions at Kaobon. Kelly then looked to bounce back, against

Matt Veach Matt Alan Veach (born May 31, 1981) is a retired American mixed martial arts fighter who most recently competed in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he has competed for the UFC, BAMMA, the MFC, and Cage Warriors. ...

on the

UFC 112 ''UFC 112: Invincible'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 10, 2010, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Due to the time zone difference in Abu Dhabi, UFC 112 was shown live on pay-per-view in the U ...

card in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

. At 3:41 of the second round, Kelly pulled off a guillotine choke submission and was victorious. This was then intended to be followed up with a fight against

Jacob Volkmann Minnesota Golden Gophers Jacob Joseph Volkmann (born September 5, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Volkmann has formerly competed for t ...

at the UFC 116 prelims, on 3 July. However, the fight was moved on 1 August, to the UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko card due to visa issues forcing him out of the 116 card. Volkmann went on to defeat Kelly via unanimous decision (all judges scoring the bout 30–27). Kelly was expected to face

Gabe Ruediger Gabriel G. "Gabe" Ruediger (born August 29, 1977) is a former American mixed martial artist, who competed in the Lightweight division for the UFC, WEC and Tachi Palace Fights. He is a former WEC Lightweight Champion, and former TPF Lightweigh ...

on 20 November 2010, at

UFC 123 ''UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 20, 2010 at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It was the first UFC event in the Metro Detroit area since ...

. However, Ruediger was forced out of the bout with a groin injury. Ruediger was replaced by TUF 12 competitor TJ O'Brien. After initially struggling to hit O'Brien's chin, due to the height disadvantage, Kelly was able to connect and dropped O'Brien with a combination. Later in the second round, Kelly secured a crucifix and hit O'Brien with multiple elbows, resulting in a TKO stoppage. Kelly was expected to face

Sam Stout Samuel James Stout (born April 23, 1984) is a retired Canadian professional mixed martial artist. A professional from 2003 until 2015, Stout is best known for his 20-fight stint with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), winning ''Fight of the ...

on 5 February 2011, at

UFC 126 ''UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 5, 2011 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background Former Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor B ...

, but Stout was forced from the bout with an injury and replaced by

Donald Cerrone Donald Cerrone (born March 29, 1983), known professionally by his nickname "Cowboy", is an American retired mixed martial artist, actor, and former professional kickboxer. He competed in the Lightweight and Welterweight division for the Ultimat ...

. Kelly lost to Cerrone via submission due to a rear-naked choke. Although he lost, the performance earned him and Cerrone ''Fight of the Night'' honors. In the aftermath of his loss to Cerrone, Kelly was released from the promotion, leaving the company with a 5-4 record.

Post UFC

Kelly was expected to face Afakasi Sione at UCMMA 21 in England on 25 June. However, due to an injury Kelly had to withdraw from the bout. Kelly was expected to fight at Legacy FC 9 on 16 December 2011 against Jeff Rexroad. However, Kelly pulled out of the fight due to visa issues and has been replaced by

Efrain Escudero Efraín Escudero (born January 15, 1986) is a Mexican mixed martial artist. He trains under Drew Fickett and competes in the 155 lb (70.3 kg) weight class. Efrain was the winner of season eight of Spike TV's reality show ''The Ultimate ...

, However, Efrain was resigned to the UFC, causing him to withdraw from the bout.

Super Fight League

Kelly, along with Xavier Foupa-Pokam and Lena Ovchynnikova signed a four-fight contract with the

Super Fight League Super Fight League is a mixed martial arts promotion, based in India. The organisation was formed in 2012 by actor Sanjay Dutt and British-Indian businessman Raj Kundra, and is currently co-owned by British-Indian businessman Bill Dosanjh and ...

. He made his debut for them at SFL 2 against WEC and

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *''Marvel Strike Force'', ...

veteran

Ryan Healy Ryan Healy (born July 20, 1983) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist who has competed for many promotions including Strikeforce, WEC, Shine Fights, and Full Contact Fighting Federation. He is also the twin brother of mixed-m ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

UCMMA

There has been an ongoing feud between Kelly and Richard Griffin over the last few weeks which has resulted in them being booked to fight at UCMMA 31. They were having a disagreement over a fight that Richard Griffin and

Ross Pointon ''The Ultimate Fighter 3'' was the third season of the mixed martial arts reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. It premiered on April 6, 2006, immediately after the conclusion of '' Ultimate Fight Night 4''. The season featured sixte ...

had in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

that was recently posted on the UCMMA Facebook page. Kelly stated that he thought Griffin was lucky in his fight with Pointon and that "The Real Deal" would win that match-up 9 times out of ten. Griffin felt disrespected and fired back with some insults of his own, which including jabs at Kelly being dropped by the UFC. Both men then called for a fight in the cage to settle the matter, in which Dave O’Donnell decided to approach both men to arrange the fight. Kelly and Griffin settled this feud on 1 December with Kelly winning via guillotine choke in the second round.

Post-conviction career

Having been active at the gym and studying

nutrition Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain sufficient n ...

during his prison sentence, Kelly returned to the regional mixed martial arts competition at Probellum 1: Liverpool on 7 March 2020. Kelly faced Simone Bottino, winning the bout in the second round via technical knockout. In February 2021, Kelly announced his retirement from the sport.

Personal life

Kelly had his first child, a daughter named Phoebe in June 2008.

Drug trafficking conviction

In May 2013, Kelly was found guilty of heroin trafficking in the United Kingdom and was sentenced to 13 years in prison. However, Kelly was put on work release in 2017 and had completed his sentence and thus released in May 2019. During his work release, Kelly started a

healthy eating A healthy diet is a diet that maintains or improves overall health. A healthy diet provides the body with essential nutrition: fluid, macronutrients such as protein, micronutrients such as vitamins, and adequate fibre and food energy. A healt ...

restaurant in Liverpool.

Championships and accomplishments

** Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Paul Taylor and

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 15–5 , Simone Bottino , TKO (elbows and punches) , Probellum 1: Liverpool , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:37 ,

, United Kingdom , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5 , Henrique Santana , TKO (punches) , UWC 22 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:47 ,

Essex, England Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...

, United Kingdom , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5 , Richard Griffin , Submission (guillotine choke) , UCMMA 31 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:52 ,

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

, United Kingdom , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , SFL 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Chandigarh Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which al ...

, India , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–4 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:48 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 , TJ O'Brien , TKO (elbows) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:16 ,

Auburn Hills, Michigan Auburn Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 21,412 at the 2010 census. Before incorporating as a city in 1983, the area was part of the now-defunct Pontiac Township. It is home to Oakland University ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:41 ,

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–2 ,

, TKO (spinning back kick and punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:53 ,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–1 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:16 ,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Paul Taylor , Decision (unanimous) ,

UFC 80 ''UFC 80: Rapid Fire'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), that took place on January 19, 2008, at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, United Kingdom. Background The main event was originally sch ...

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Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Jordan James , TKO (punches) , Cage Gladiators 4: Prepare for Glory , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:40 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Sami Berik , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Cage Warriors: Enter The Rough House 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:27 ,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Marius Liaukevicius , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Clash of Warriors , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:10 , England , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Bruce Davis , TKO (doctor stoppage) , House of Pain Fight Night 6: The Real Deal , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:38 ,

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

, Wales , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , James Neal , TKO (punches) , Ultimate Force , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:02 ,

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham. In N ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Nigel Whitear , TKO (punches) , FX3: Battle of Britain , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:54 , England , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Ian McAleese , TKO (punches) , CWFC: Quest 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:21 , England ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Paul 1984 births Living people 21st-century English criminals Criminals from Merseyside English drug traffickers English male criminals English male mixed martial artists English people convicted of drug offences Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Martial artists from Liverpool Prisoners and detainees of England and Wales Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters