Darragh Kelly hoping small percentages make the big difference in 2025 

Darragh Kelly fields a call and by pure coincidence it’s at a time when he’s making some big career moves. 

The ‘Moville Mauler’ explains that he’s moving into SBG’s state-of-the-art training facility in Dublin as we speak. Literally, he’s taking bags up the stairs in one arm and talking on the phone with the other. 

Kelly - who is mentored and trained by John Kavanagh - was nearing the end of a four-fight deal with Bellator when the big-hitting PFL moved in to acquire their rival competition. 

That seismic shift in the European MMA landscape has left a large portion of the Bellator roaster in limbo. But Kelly’s stock and potential remains high. 

And he explains that the PFL has shown a real desire to not only hang onto Kelly but has also offered him a new deal. 

“I’ve two fights left on my Bellator contract but they could be folding really soon and it’s going to be the PFL. So they have sent out a new four-fight deal that I feel like I’m going to go with. 

“There are a few wee details left to iron out but I’m leaning towards it as it’s four fights inside 18 months which is a nice timeframe. 

“The likes of Octagon too are really strong. I was out cornering Will Fleury in Frankfurt and it was a 60,000 soldout arena where he won the light heavyweight title. It was amazing and they are a serious outfit too”. 

Kelly wants to keep upping the ante now after claiming a significant win in London back in September.

He took an impressive points win over Dmytrii Hrytsenko, taking the Ukrianian's unbeaten record out at the OVO Wembley Arena.

Kelly now stands 7-0 as a pro and has an as yet unblemished 16-0 record as a mixed martial artist.

After beating Mathias Poiron in June in Dublin , Kelly stayed in camp as he was keen to make up for lost time due to a debilitating thumb injury that eventually required surgery to rectify. 

“I was delighted with London - it was a positive way to end the year. This time last year I’d surgery on a torn ligament on the thumb and that put me out of a fight in March. I worked hard, got back training in April. 

“So it was important to get a strong opponent for the first fight and, again, that second fight in London was also good, hard opposition. 

“That Wembley offer came just three days after Dublin so it felt in my own head, two big names, was a chance to salvage the year”. 

And in terms of his new digs and new surroundings under the SBG roof, Kelly says it’s a change of scenery that he hopes will move the needle and propel him onto the next level in what is a critical stage in the 26-year-old’s career inside the Octagon. 

“I’ve moved into the gym today, upstairs in the dorm so I’ll be living like a monk. That’s going to be really beneficial because you are literally eating, sleeping and drinking MMA. 

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“The margins are really thin from here on out. And any percentage or wee edge you can get it’s what really makes the difference. 

“There’s no hiding place now and there’s real accountability so I’m excited to see how that impacts my performances”.

Kelly says he’s determined to get 2025 off the mark in good stead and after last year’s injury setback and delay, he says once the final details are sorted on his new PFL dea are sorted, it should be all systems go.  

“If they offered me a fight in ten weeks I’d take it. But with the contract thing, I’ll just have to see how that plays out. But, I definitely, I want to fight in the first quarter of the year”.