Darragh Kelly making his power count in lightweight crusade 

Darragh Kelly feels his power can help take him up the levels in a loaded lightweight division.

The Moville mixed martial artist extended his unblemished record book to 9-0 on Friday with a quick stoppage of Bakhtiyor Abduloev in France.

‘Moville Mauler’ Kelly overpowered Abduloev, a rear naked choke drawing a halt just two minuets and 27 seconds in.

“When I initiated a grapple and took him down, I felt that he was a lot weaker; there was a big discrepancy in the levels, I felt,” Kelly told Donegal Live.

“My power is one of my weapons at lightweight. I am overpowering boys and that physicality is a big weapon I have so I have to make use of it.

“I have been saying to boys, when I was at featherweight I was going into the fight sort of the same weight, but there is a massive difference in the way I am tuned, the power and the explosiveness.

“Lightweight is just perfect for me.”

Abduloev came to the Zenith Nantes Metropole with a 10-1 record, but proved little match for Kelly as the 27-year-old Inishowen man showed his class.

He said: “I went in there with less of a game plan and was more just watching his tendencies.

“He was a taekwondo world champion and an orthodox so I went in with a completely open mind with what was going to happen.

“It was clear enough that he wasn’t going to be the most powerful. I didn’t take much of a break after my last fight; this is what I am all about and I’m blessed to be doing what I do.”

In 2023, Kelly switched to featherweight for a brief period.

He defeated Doval Jordan via a ground and pound in the third round at Bellator 291 and did likewise with Jelle Zeegers at Bellator 299.

Both bouts at the 3Arena in Dublin were in the 145lbs division, but Kelly is clearly more at home at lightweight (155lbs)

After taking out Mathias Poiron in the opening round at the 3Arena last June, Kelly told Donegal Live: “I was too big for featherweight.

“After fights, I was going up to 86, 87kgs; it was absolutely crazy to try to get down there. I'm just a different animal at lightweight. I am far more explosive, far stronger and far better suited to this weight class.”

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Kelly is now on an 18-fight winning streak with nine professional wins under his belt now.

The lightweight division might be littered with daunting obstacles, but Kelly clearly wants to become one of its contenders.