Mixed Martial Arts legend Daniel Kelly announced August 9th via Australia’s Submission Radio he wants one last UFC fight against Zak Cummings at UFC Adelaide in December. One week later… still not a word from the UFC whether the Aussie will get his wish.
Kelly, 41, wants this final fight at home for more than himself, he wants to walk out to the octagon with his 13-year-old son Erik by his side. Erik is dealing with a deadly illness Cystinosis, a rare genetic disorder most often causing kidney failure early in life.
Kelly has been hesitant to let his kids watch his past fights, even telling his kids to not watch entirely when he knew he’d be fighting a brawler (Submission Radio). But these circumstances are different, Erik just entered high school and Kelly, leader of the self-proclaimed #DadsArmy, feels the time is perfect.
The UFC and MMA community owe this to Daniel Kelly as his final sendoff considering all that he has done for the sport. Kelly is a pioneer of combat sports in Australia, a four-time Judo Olympian from 2000 to 2012 and a coach in The 2016 Games. He wants to keep giving back by becoming a coach for young and talented Aussie fighters. The Olympian is also a Junior World Champ, commonwealth games participant, and now 6-4 in the UFC with signature wins over former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion “Suga” Rashad Evans, Luke Zachrich, and Antonio Carlos Junior.
One last UFC fight in Australia would mean the world to the Kelly family. The UFC is in debt to Daniel Kelly for being an outstanding ambassador to MMA down under and this is the reward they need to give him.
