Joseph Duffy tipping Darragh Kelly to go right to the top

Joseph Duffy believes Darragh Kelly has all the tools to go right to the top of the MMA world.

Ex UFC star Duffy says he’s been checking in on his fellow Donegal man’s progress and he likes what he sees. ‘The Moville Mauler’ is 2-0 after his first year as a professional with the Bellator promotion.

The 24-year-old trains out of SBG in Dublin and his stock rose even further in recent weeks after he was named as one of ESPN's 'top 25 under 25' to watch in 2023.

If he can stay injury free and remain as active as possible, Duffy sees no reason why Kelly can’t wear lightweight gold in the very near future.

“From what I’ve seen, he’s really impressive,” said Duffy. “His Bellator debut, he just demolished the lad. He’s a big lightweight, he’s very well put together. He’s strong, he’s physical. And the skills are certainly there.

“And he’s the beauty of being based at home in Ireland and training just a few hours up the road in Dublin. I genuinely think he could achieve big things. The interesting thing for me, on his debut, was that he looked comfortable, like he belonged. There were absolutely no nerves.

“And you only get that feeling from knowing you’ve the work put in, that you’re giving it absolutely everything. Yeah, I’m excited to see where he goes to”.

Duffy, who hung up his own MMA gloves back in 2020, expects to see Kelly’s trajectory continue to rise next year. If he does that, his popularity will also grow with MMA fans.

And Duffy says Bellator’s bosses will find that kind of noise very hard to ignore.

“I think when you’re just in the door, you should be blitzing through lads. And he’ll continue to do that in 2023. And that will all count as experience under the belt. He’s still a very young lad.

“When it is time for the big stage, that’s when you’ll find yourself up against guys more your own level. But from what I’ve seen, that’s where he’ll be heading, sooner rather than later.

“And listen, Ireland is an MMA mad country. Irish fans put bums on seats. The crowd reaction to his own debut, it was brilliant. He’d obviously some gang up from home. He’d be easily marketed”.

He added: “And I’m not trying to get too far ahead of myself but Dana (White) has a very soft spot for good, Irish fighters. He grew up in Boston and he knows the pull the Irish have along that entire east coast.

“Anyone that is making noise outside of the UFC that has that kind of potential, if Dana wants them he usually gets them. In terms of it (UFC) being the Premier League of MMA, that’s for others to decide. My advice would always be to get paid.

“It’s a physical sport. And not everyone gets the big bucks, regardless of where they’re fighting. But the more popular Darragh gets, the more bargaining power he’ll have in that regard” .

Kelly will line up for the third time as a pro at Bellator 291 at the 3Arena on February 25.