39-year-old father of two Daniel Kelly continued his improbable climb up the middleweight ladder at UFC 209, defeating former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.
In a mixed day of results for the Aussies, with once-iron-jawed puncher Mark Hunt getting face-planted by a knee from Alistair Overeem and New South Wales-based light heavyweight Tyson Pedro pounding out a victory on the prelims, nobody represented the nation better than Kelly.
The fourth-dan judo black belt collected his most high-profile scalp in Evans, a battle-tested former champion who was attempting to resurrect his career by dropping down to the middleweight division.
Against the speedy hare, the slow-and-steady turtle won the fight with his volume, continually moving forward and feeding the Florida-based wrestle-boxer a steady diet of punches to leave the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with his hand raised.
“Next has to be a ranked opponent – it has to be,” the overjoyed Aussie said after receiving the split decision verdict.
“That is four wins in a row. I’ve just beaten a former champion, so give me anyone inside the top 15. As long as I have time to train, I’m ready to go.”
It’s hard to argue against Kelly when he pleads his case for a fight against a fellow surging contender in the 185-pound division. And the Melbourne-based judoka joins the shark-infested waters in the contenders’ pool at a unique time.
The top of the division is a complete logjam, since the champion, British cardio kickboxer Michael Bisping, has avoided the rightful top contenders like the plague since he captured the division’s top prize.
First, the middleweight king barely beat 46-year-old retiree Dan Henderson, and now he is fighting Georges St. Pierre, a welterweight who ‘retired’ three years ago amid serious concussion concerns.
As a result, all of the sharks in the division are forced to kill each other off, with Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza fighting Robert Whittaker and Gegard Mousasi set to battle Chris Weidman, while Yoel Romero sits on the sideline, praying that UFC boss Dana White delivers on hs promise that he’s “next.”
Outside of the cream of the crop contenders, though, the division is wide open. Here are a few options for Kelly in his improbable UFC journey.
Uriah Hall
Once a fighter expected to become a real player in the middleweight ranks, Hall has fallen on hard times, dropping three in a row – albeit all to top fighters in Mousasi, Whittaker and Derek Brunson.
The 32-year-old Jamaican striker has the speed and power on the feet to finish Kelly, but his battles with consistency give the Melbourne-based dark horse a fighting chance.
Tim Boetsch
Boetsch, who snapped a two-fight winning streak against ‘Jacare’ Souza in February, has been one of the longest tenured members of the 185-pound roster.
Similarly to Kelly, the hard-nosed American puncher has been a career underdog who has managed to tip over the apple cart for more than one contender or prospect the UFC was grooming.
Sam Alvey
Kelly has now been in the UFC for two years and change, compiling a 6-1 record. His lone loss in that stretch is to Alvey.
The 15th-ranked fighter has gone 5-2 since clubbing Kelly in 49 seconds, currently on a career-best four bout winning streak following a win over former title challenger Nate Marquardt in January.
Alvey made short work on the Aussie grappler in the first fight, but Kelly has made obvious improvements since that bout, and his win over Evans puts him neck-and-neck with the American action fighter on the ladder.
Regardless of who Kelly fights next, he will almost certainly be an underdog. But history suggests it’s not wise to bet against Dad Bod Dan.
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