Daniel Kelly, Australian fighter, chasing UFC glory in Sydney
DANIEL Kelly thought his UFC dream had passed him by. Then came a call that offered him the opportunity of a lifetime.
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DANIEL Kelly thought his UFC dream had passed him by.
Forced into the outer with a slight crack of his collarbone, Kelly was convinced a missed opportunity to fight for an AFC title would ultimately end his hopes.
Then came a call from Joe Silva.
“I was rapt,” he said.
“I’d been emailing him saying ‘I’ll fight on any card, anywhere you like’ and he said I’ll offer you this fight (against American Luke Zachrich). It’s awesome.”
“I’ve been in email contact every since I fought at AFC in Albury, and to be honest, when I pulled out of the Steve Kennedy fight in August I thought I wasn’t going to have a chance of getting a shot,” said Kelly.
A member of the UFC TUF Nations house alongside training partner Jake Matthews, Kelly will make his debut against Zachrich (14-3-0) at UFC Fight Night in Sydney on November 7.
Zachrich, who defeated Guilherme Vasconcelos at UFC 175, has won 11 of his last 13 fights, including six wins by submission (3 armbar, 2 keylock, 1 rear naked) and five by knockout.
He was also part of the Ultimate Fighter Season 7 as a member of Forrest Griffin’s team.
“He’s got good boxing, good jiu jitsu and he used to play gridiron in college, so he’s pretty well rounded,” Kelly said.
“His boxing is probably the key thing (and that’s what I’ll be watching out for). His last fight in the UFC he fought a guy with world champion jiu jitsu and he just picked him apart with boxing.
“I want to see how good he is standing because I’ve been working really hard on mine, but obviously my background is judo, so hopefully I can take him down.”
But Kelly is happy for the pair to remain on their feet.
“If I feel comfortable, we’ll stand,” he said.
“I’m just looking forward to it.”
Kelly admits he has the opportunity of a lifetime.
“The UFC is the Olympics of MMA, it’s the highest level I can get to and I want to make a good career out of it for three or four years,” he said.
“I’m getting a bit long in the tooth and I’d like to fight 10-12 times in the UFC and be old and retired.”
Kelly knows his career in the cut-throat environment of the UFC could virtually be over before it starts.
“The way I look at it in the UFC, if you lose two in a row in most cases you’re out, so I’ve got two chances,” he said.
“If I win the first one, it extends by two, maybe three. If I win two, I’ll get another two fights so it becomes a four-fight deal.
“It’s very important to win. You don’t get many chances and I want a bit of redemption from the house because that didn’t go that well for me. It’s crucial for me.”
Kelly was defeated by eventual middleweight runner-up Sheldon Westcott via first round submission and, despite injuring his knee in the bout, he is determined to put the result behind him.
“It says I’m undefeated on my record but I don’t consider myself undefeated,” Kelly said.
“I lost in the house and I don’t want to feel like that again. I’ll use that (loss) to drive me.”
Kelly, 36, has been in preparation for this fight since August and has been delivering 10 sessions a week, which equates to about 17 hours in the gym.
“My body’s like a rattling bobsled and I’m a bit run down at the moment but you’re meant to be tired at this point of your camp,” he said.
“By the time we go to Sydney, which is the first of November, I can start tapering towards the fight.
“At the moment it’s just about getting the hours in and working away.”
Originally published as Daniel Kelly, Australian fighter, chasing UFC glory in Sydney
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