Anthony Durian Kelley (born January 21, 1987) is an American

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 competes in the

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from Ba ...

division. A professional since 2012, he most notably competed 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 ...

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.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In 2012, Kelley was one of the young MMA fighters featured in '' Caged'' - an

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

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 Matthew Christopher Schnell (born January 15, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Schnell formerly competed for Legacy Fighting Alli ...

, to later fight professionally. 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 Kevin Aguilar (born September 7, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist (MMA). Aguilar was the Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) Featherweight champion and he currently competes in the featherweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship ...

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Kelley made his UFC debut against

Kai Kamaka III Jonathan Kai Kamaka III (born January 5, 1995) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of Bellator MMA. He also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Kai started training martia ...

UFC 252 ''UFC 252: Miocic vs. Cormier 3'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 15, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United Sta ...

on . He lost the bout via unanimous decision. This bout earned him a '' Fight of the Night'' bonus award Kelley faced Ali AlQaisi on October 11, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen. He won the bout via unanimous decision. Kelley was scheduled to face

Trevin Jones Trevin Anthony Jones (born August 4, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist living on the US Territory of Guam, who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Jones started his MMA career when he fi ...

on July 24, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw. However, on July 4, Kelly withdrew from the bout due to unknown reasons. Kelley faced

Randy Costa Randy Costa (born July 6, 1994) is an American professional mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Bantamweight division. A professional since 2018, he most notably fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Costa began ...

on December 11, 2021, at

UFC 269 ''UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 11, 2021, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United State ...

. He won the fight via TKO in the second round. Kelley faced

Adrian Yanez Adrian Yanez (born November 29, 1993) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of December 6, 2022, he is #13 in the UFC bantamweight rankings. Background His father ...

on June 18, 2022 at

UFC on ESPN 37 ''UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Emmett'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 37'' and ''UFC Austin'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 18, 2022 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, United ...

. 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. He lost the bout in the first round via TKO stoppage. On July 7, 2022, it was announced that Kelley was no longer on the roster.

Championships and accomplishments

** Fight of the Night (One time)

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.

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." 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".

Mixed martial arts record

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Tony 1987 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing karate Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American male karateka Sportspeople from Shreveport, Louisiana Mixed martial artists from Louisiana