Tag: Tony Kelley

Tony Kelley Misses Bantamweight Limit by 1.5lbs, Fined 20% of Purse Ahead of Adrian Yanez Bout

Tony KelleyIt was nearly a clean sweep on the scales for all the fighters making the walk at UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs Emmett. Bantamweight Tony Kelley was the only fighter to miss weight from the 14-fight card, weighing in 1.5lbs over the limit. As per the UFC, his bout with Adrian Yanez will still go […]

Tony Kelley

It was nearly a clean sweep on the scales for all the fighters making the walk at UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs Emmett.

Bantamweight Tony Kelley was the only fighter to miss weight from the 14-fight card, weighing in 1.5lbs over the limit. As per the UFC, his bout with Adrian Yanez will still go ahead, and Kelly will forfeit 20% of his purse.

Tony Kelley Misses Bantamweight Limit

Despite the drama at bantamweight, every competitor made weight, including headliners Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmet, who battle it out in a featherweight contest, which may have huge implications in the title picture.

Calvin Kattar vs. Josh Emmet

Calvin Kattar bounced back in fanatic fashion, defeating Giga Chikadze in his most recent bout after taking a year out. Prior to the victory, Kattar was at the wrong end of a one-sided beatdown to Max Holloway. A statement win over an in-form Emmet could push Kattar back inside the title challenger conversations.

After suffering a second career loss to Jeremy Stephens, Emmet has turned a corner winning his last four inside the UFC Octagon. At 37 years old, his main event clash vs Kattar will more than likely be his last opportunity to clinch on to featherweight title aspirations. Emmet recently bagged decisions over Dan Ige and Shane Burgos and will be hopeful of adding Calvin Kattar to that noteworthy list.

UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Emmett Weigh-in Results:

Calvin Kattar (146) vs. Josh Emmett (145.5)
Donald Cerrone (155) vs. Joe Lauzon (154.75)
Kevin Holland (170) vs. Tim Means (170.5)
Joaquin Buckley (184) vs. Albert Duraev (185.5)
Damir Ismagulov (155) vs. Guram Kutateladze (155.5)
Julian Marquez (185.5) vs. Gregory Rodrigues (185.5)
Tony Kelley (137.5)* vs. Adrian Yanez (135.5)
Jasmine Jasdavicius(124.75) vs. Natalia Cristina da Silva (125.5)
Court McGee (170) vs. Jeremiah Wells (171)
Danny Chavez (145) vs. Ricardo Ramos (146)
Gloria de Paula (115) vs. Maria Oliveira (115)
Cody Stamann (135.5) vs. Eddie Wineland (135)
Phil Hawes (185) vs. Deron Winn (186)
Kyle Daukaus (185.5) vs. Roman Dolidze (185.5)

Which fight are you most looking forward to on the card?

EXCLUSIVE | Adrian Yanez Vows To KO Kelley After Brazil Comments

Adrian Yanez isn’t naive to Brazilian fans wanting him to punish Tony Kelley and he’s embracing the pressure that comes with it. Yanez will face Kelley in the featured preliminary bout of UFC Austin this Saturday. Yanez is looking to further his climb in the bantamweight division and potentially move closer to a spot in…

Continue Reading EXCLUSIVE | Adrian Yanez Vows To KO Kelley After Brazil Comments at MMA News.

Adrian Yanez isn’t naive to Brazilian fans wanting him to punish Tony Kelley and he’s embracing the pressure that comes with it.

Yanez will face Kelley in the featured preliminary bout of UFC Austin this Saturday. Yanez is looking to further his climb in the bantamweight division and potentially move closer to a spot in the rankings.

The atmosphere behind the matchup escalated when Kelley was heard making controversial remarks about Brazilians while cornering his teammate Andrea Lee just weeks ago. He referred to them as “dirty Brazilians” after Viviane Araujo poked Lee in the eye.

Now, Yanez has the support of a nation behind him as he gets ready for his matchup with Kelley. But to him, pressure is nothing new for the up-and-coming 135lber out of Houston, TX.

During an exclusive interview with MMA News, Yanez downplayed whether or not the pressure from Brazilian fans will impact his performance.

“Honestly, it plays into my favor with getting more fans and everything, but the gameplan is never changed,” Yanez said. “I still want to go in there, I still want to knock him out. Everything is still the same, but there’s more people that want to see me do it. I think that’s super cool, it sucks the way it happened, but at the same time if I make other fans a lot more happy for that even happening then 100%, come on board. I’m here for it.

“To me, it doesn’t change anything because I love fighting under pressure. It’s fantastic and it brings something else out of you so it brings me more excitement. Performing under pressure…it doesn’t bring any added pressure that I haven’t already put on myself. Everyone else, friends, and family, are in the back of my mind. Because I put the most pressure on myself.

“The comments he made, pretty shitty. Stupid, his downfall ended up being something that a lot of people are now looking at me to knock him out. So it plays into my favor because I was already planning to knock him out. I’m going to satisfy the fans and also be myself, and hopefully get another $50k.”

Yanez is entering his fight with Kelley riding on an eight-fight winning streak, including four straight in the UFC. He earned a shot after a knockout win on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020.

Yanez is no stranger to highlight finishes, with knockouts in four of his last six fights. And now, he’s promising something special ahead of his clash with Kelley.

“Like Derrick Lewis says: ‘Houston throws, we swang and bang’, that’s exactly what I’m gonna go do,” Yanez proclaimed. “I’m gonna go out there and knock him out.

“Tony Kelley went out there and said he’s the Louisiana guy from the swamps, well I’m from Houston where we swang and bang…I’m telling you right now, I’m getting that knockout. I’m not gonna search for it, but I know with my style and what he brings, I’m gonna get a knockout and another $50k for me.”

UFC Austin takes place Saturday, June 18, and will be headlined by a featherweight clash between top contenders Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett.

Continue Reading EXCLUSIVE | Adrian Yanez Vows To KO Kelley After Brazil Comments at MMA News.

Tony Kelley: “Calling Me Racist Is The Stupidest Thing To Say”

UFC bantamweight Tony Kelley has further responded to criticism of his ‘dirty Brazilians’ comment while cornering Andrea Lee. Kelley is slated to face Adrian Yanez this weekend at UFC Austin. He’s been heavily criticized after a clip of him making disparaging comments about Brazilians, and flyweight Viviane Araújo went viral. Just days away from his…

Continue Reading Tony Kelley: “Calling Me Racist Is The Stupidest Thing To Say” at MMA News.

UFC bantamweight Tony Kelley has further responded to criticism of his ‘dirty Brazilians’ comment while cornering Andrea Lee.

Kelley is slated to face Adrian Yanez this weekend at UFC Austin. He’s been heavily criticized after a clip of him making disparaging comments about Brazilians, and flyweight Viviane Araújo went viral.

Just days away from his fight with Yanez, Kelley has been forced to further address his recent comments and hit back at accusations of racism.

During a recent interview with Cageside Press, Kelley denied any malicious intent with his comments in Lee’s corner.

“Actually, I dislike everyone equally, I’ll put it that way,” Kelley admitted. “So I think pretty much I’ve answered all that, much love to my Brazilian fans and friends. If you don’t like what I said, I don’t know what to tell you on that, sorry. Sorry if you got your feelings hurt.

“I think everyone who knows me, knows the diverse group of friends and the circle I’m in. They obviously know that [calling me] racist is, like, the stupidest thing to say. There’s real racism going on in the world.” (h/t Bloody Elbow)

After previously blaming cancel culture for the outrage to his comments, as dispelled by his upcoming opponent Yanez, Kelley claimed that it was a calculated attack from a social media user.

“People feel like I’m blaming cancel culture or whatever. No, ultimately, I’m talking shit about cancel culture because my job is to relay information in the corner, and I’m really not focused on if I offend somebody or not,” Kelley said.

“That’s the last thing on my mind. If you go back and you actually watch the fight, everyone’s like ‘Aww, you’re a dumbass. Why would you say that on international television?’ Well, I didn’t.

“If you watch the fight, you’ll never hear it air. It was not aired. So somebody clipped that out and sent it off into the Twitterverse just to get at me.”

Kelley has won back-to-back fights and three of his last four bouts overall. He most recently finished Randy Costa in the second round at UFC 269 last December.

Yanez has garnered a new fanbase in Brazil since Kelley’s comments, but Kelley will look to silence his haters and put his comments in the rear-view mirror.

What are your thoughts on Tony Kelley and his controversial Brazil comments?

Continue Reading Tony Kelley: “Calling Me Racist Is The Stupidest Thing To Say” at MMA News.

Adrian Yanez Rejects Tony Kelley’s “Cancel Culture” Defense

UFC bantamweight prospect Adrian Yanez has slammed Tony Kelley’s response to the criticism surrounding his controversial remarks earlier this month. At UFC Vegas 54, Kelley was present in the corner of his partner Andrea Lee for her women’s flyweight scrap with Viviane Araújo. Following the opening round, “KGB” appeared to suggest that she’d been the…

Continue Reading Adrian Yanez Rejects Tony Kelley’s “Cancel Culture” Defense at MMA News.

UFC bantamweight prospect Adrian Yanez has slammed Tony Kelley’s response to the criticism surrounding his controversial remarks earlier this month.

At UFC Vegas 54, Kelley was present in the corner of his partner Andrea Lee for her women’s flyweight scrap with Viviane Araújo. Following the opening round, “KGB” appeared to suggest that she’d been the recipient of an eye poke from her Brazilian opponent.

In response, Kelley made some distasteful remarks about Araújo and her nation, saying, “That’s what they’re gonna do. They’re dirty f*ckin’ Brazilians.”

After facing criticism from all corners of the MMA community for his words, Kelley defended himself by suggesting that the attempt to hold him accountable proved that “cancel culture is real.”

Like many, Adrian Yanez doesn’t believe that the Louisianan’s response was good enough or appropriate.

Yanez, who is set to share the Octagon with Kelley at UFC Austin next month, spoke about his upcoming opponent’s actions during an interview with Sportskeeda MMA. According to the rising striker, Kelley’s use of “cancel culture” as a defense simply doesn’t hold up.

“Yeah, and you know what? Like, his response was kind of just like, ‘I don’t know.’ I honestly was just like, ‘Bro, all you had to do is just apologize.’ Like that’s all you really had to do,” said Yanez. “You didn’t have to go out there and [be] like, ‘Oh, cancel culture.’ Like, bro, honestly, us fighters, we’re not big enough to be canceled, so it’s like, it’s not really cancel culture.

“It’s just (that) you offended a whole bunch of people from Brazil, and now you’re getting the backlash from it,” added Yanez. “It’s not cancel culture, there’s a lot of people that just didn’t like what you said, responding to you.”

Yanez Sends Kelley Some Apology Advice

Having criticized Kelley’s attitude and decision to defend his remarks, Yanez went on to explain how the 35-year-old should have responded to the backlash, which saw fans, pundits, and fighters, including Brazilian ones, condemn his words.

“His response could have just been, ‘Hey man, in the heat of the moment I just wasn’t even thinking straight, I’m sorry, I’m completely sorry,’” suggested Yanez. “But except he just kind of just put the blame, so (instead) of being like, ‘Hey, you know, I apologize,’ (he) just went, ‘No, f**k you, it’s cancel culture.’

“So to me, he kind of messed up by not even like just admitting he was wrong. And what he said, he could have been like, ‘Man, I meant it towards like, not to call her a dirty Brazilian or anything like that.’ And could have just been like, ‘She’s a dirty fighter,’ or whatever, you know? But he went on (to) talk mess (about) the whole country.”

Given the controversy, it’s safe to say that Yanez will have a whole lot of support behind him come June 18, likely including an entire South American country.

Having received messages of encouragement from the likes of UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns, it seems that Yanez will be looking to deliver a knockout finish for more than just himself this time around.

Do you agree with Adrian Yanez’s take on Tony Kelley’s response?

Continue Reading Adrian Yanez Rejects Tony Kelley’s “Cancel Culture” Defense at MMA News.

Adrian Yanez Rejects Tony Kelley’s “Cancel Culture” Defense

UFC bantamweight prospect Adrian Yanez has slammed Tony Kelley’s response to the criticism surrounding his controversial remarks earlier this month. At UFC Vegas 54, Kelley was present in the corner of his partner Andrea Lee for her women’s flyweight scrap with Viviane Araújo. Following the opening round, “KGB” appeared to suggest that she’d been the…

Continue Reading Adrian Yanez Rejects Tony Kelley’s “Cancel Culture” Defense at MMA News.

UFC bantamweight prospect Adrian Yanez has slammed Tony Kelley’s response to the criticism surrounding his controversial remarks earlier this month.

At UFC Vegas 54, Kelley was present in the corner of his partner Andrea Lee for her women’s flyweight scrap with Viviane Araújo. Following the opening round, “KGB” appeared to suggest that she’d been the recipient of an eye poke from her Brazilian opponent.

In response, Kelley made some distasteful remarks about Araújo and her nation, saying, “That’s what they’re gonna do. They’re dirty f*ckin’ Brazilians.”

After facing criticism from all corners of the MMA community for his words, Kelley defended himself by suggesting that the attempt to hold him accountable proved that “cancel culture is real.”

Like many, Adrian Yanez doesn’t believe that the Louisianan’s response was good enough or appropriate.

Yanez, who is set to share the Octagon with Kelley at UFC Austin next month, spoke about his upcoming opponent’s actions during an interview with Sportskeeda MMA. According to the rising striker, Kelley’s use of “cancel culture” as a defense simply doesn’t hold up.

“Yeah, and you know what? Like, his response was kind of just like, ‘I don’t know.’ I honestly was just like, ‘Bro, all you had to do is just apologize.’ Like that’s all you really had to do,” said Yanez. “You didn’t have to go out there and [be] like, ‘Oh, cancel culture.’ Like, bro, honestly, us fighters, we’re not big enough to be canceled, so it’s like, it’s not really cancel culture.

“It’s just (that) you offended a whole bunch of people from Brazil, and now you’re getting the backlash from it,” added Yanez. “It’s not cancel culture, there’s a lot of people that just didn’t like what you said, responding to you.”

Yanez Sends Kelley Some Apology Advice

Having criticized Kelley’s attitude and decision to defend his remarks, Yanez went on to explain how the 35-year-old should have responded to the backlash, which saw fans, pundits, and fighters, including Brazilian ones, condemn his words.

“His response could have just been, ‘Hey man, in the heat of the moment I just wasn’t even thinking straight, I’m sorry, I’m completely sorry,’” suggested Yanez. “But except he just kind of just put the blame, so (instead) of being like, ‘Hey, you know, I apologize,’ (he) just went, ‘No, f**k you, it’s cancel culture.’

“So to me, he kind of messed up by not even like just admitting he was wrong. And what he said, he could have been like, ‘Man, I meant it towards like, not to call her a dirty Brazilian or anything like that.’ And could have just been like, ‘She’s a dirty fighter,’ or whatever, you know? But he went on (to) talk mess (about) the whole country.”

Given the controversy, it’s safe to say that Yanez will have a whole lot of support behind him come June 18, likely including an entire South American country.

Having received messages of encouragement from the likes of UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns, it seems that Yanez will be looking to deliver a knockout finish for more than just himself this time around.

Do you agree with Adrian Yanez’s take on Tony Kelley’s response?

Continue Reading Adrian Yanez Rejects Tony Kelley’s “Cancel Culture” Defense at MMA News.

Gilbert Burns On Tony Kelley’s Brazil Comments: “Man Up & Apologize”

Gilbert Burns isn’t happy with how UFC bantamweight Tony Kelley has handled the aftermath of his controversial remarks about Brazil. While he cornered his teammate Andrea Lee at UFC Vegas 54 earlier this month, Kelley could be heard on the broadcast berating Lee’s opponent Viviane Araujo. He referred to Araujo as a ‘dirty fuckin’ Brazilian’…

Continue Reading Gilbert Burns On Tony Kelley’s Brazil Comments: “Man Up & Apologize” at MMA News.

Gilbert Burns isn’t happy with how UFC bantamweight Tony Kelley has handled the aftermath of his controversial remarks about Brazil.

While he cornered his teammate Andrea Lee at UFC Vegas 54 earlier this month, Kelley could be heard on the broadcast berating Lee’s opponent Viviane Araujo. He referred to Araujo as a ‘dirty fuckin’ Brazilian’ after an eye poke during the fight.

Kelley’s comments quickly drew the attention and criticism of many on social media, including Belal Muhammad. After his comments went viral, Kelley refused to apologize and invoked ‘cancel culture’ as the reason for people being offended by his remarks.

During a recent interview with The Underground, Burns said it’s important for Kelley to own up to his comments and move forward.

“It’s really hard to judge, you know. I hate to judge the guys at all. I don’t want to judge. But I think if you do make a mistake like that, don’t just come up out with these,” Burns said of Kelley. “Just come up and apologize. Be a man, man up. Like, you know what, I messed up, I said, I didn’t mean it. But I just think every time that you act and every time you do something wrong, bro we are humans, we gonna mess up… Be a man and apologize, that’s it.” (h/t SportsKeeda)

Kelley is far from the first UFC fighter to make controversial comments about Brazil. Two-time UFC welterweight title challenger Colby Covington infamously called Brazil a “dump” and referred to Brazilians as “filthy animals” in his post-fight speech after a win over Demian Maia.

Former UFC middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen also berated Brazil during the leadup to his fights with Anderson Silva.

The UFC has yet to publicly comment on Kelley’s remarks and UFC President Dana White hasn’t spoken about the controversy. Kelley will fight Adrian Yanez at UFC Austin next month.

Do you agree with Gilbert Burns’ thoughts on Tony Kelley?

Continue Reading Gilbert Burns On Tony Kelley’s Brazil Comments: “Man Up & Apologize” at MMA News.