Athletes
Brian Kelleher Sets His Sights On The Future
Bantamweight Brian Kelleher Is Putting The Past Behind Him As He Approaches His UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs Jandiroba Clash With Cody Gibson
It’s been a challenging couple years for Brian Kelleher, who’s dropped three consecutive fights inside the Octagon.
The 37-year-old bantamweight has been in this position before, however, and he believes he has knowledge and experience on his side to rebound from these latest setbacks when he returns to the Octagon this Saturday to face The Ultimate Fighter Season 31 finalist Cody Gibson.
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“I think experience is a big factor in this sport,” Kelleher said. “This is going to be my 40th pro fight, which is wild to think of. It’s been a long journey, ups and downs, but I’ve always come back from adversity, so I’m excited to do that in this one.”
“Even before the UFC, I would go on a three-fight win streak, then lose one, win two, lose one, kind of ups and downs my whole career,” Kelleher said. “I didn’t get into the UFC until I was 30, so it was a long journey to get here, and even just to stay here has been ups and downs, as well, so I’m looking forward to bounce back big in this fight.”
While “Boom” hasn’t gotten quite the results he’s wanted in recent years, Kelleher’s gained invaluable experience against some of the toughest fighters at 135 pounds. In March of 2022, Kelleher challenged the No. 10 ranked bantamweight contender, Umar Nurmagomedov. Three months later, Kelleher fought current No. 12 ranked bantamweight Mario Bautista. Then, after recovering from neck surgery, Kelleher returned to the Octagon to face former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt.
“It’s definitely rough taking losses, especially when you know you did everything you could in preparation,” Kelleher said. “You feel mentally, physically prepared and things just don’t work out, for whatever reason. I’ve been in this game for a long time, so to be able to bounce back is something I’ve learned to do and just erase the past and start with a clean slate and that’s what I’m doing going into this one.”
FULL FIGHTS: Amanda Lemos vs Marina Rodriguez | Virna Jandiroba vs Felice Herrig
At Long Island MMA, Kelleher’s surrounded by dozens of young, hungry, aspiring mixed martial artists, all with similar dreams of making it to the UFC. It’s an environment that’s helped keep Kelleher’s mind sharp 13 years into his professional mixed martial arts career.
“For me, it’s amazing because all these guys that I’m training with are younger guys coming up that want to get to where I am, so I feel like they keep me feeling young and they’re out there to kill and prove something. I feel like they’re training with a guy in the UFC, they want to get there, so they’re going to go hard against me and try to win these rounds, so it only helps me as a veteran in this sport to stay fresh and stay young.”
Kelleher feels he’s in a similar position as his UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs Jandiroba opponent. Gibson’s in his second stint with the UFC and on a two-fight skid heading into the UFC APEX on Saturday.
“I think he’s had a long career, kind of like me,” Kelleher said of Gibson. “He’s a veteran of the sport; he was in the UFC, out of the UFC and now back in … I know he’s coming in here with a chip on his shoulder trying to stay, just like I am. I think two guys that really want to keep their position with the company have a lot of fire in them to make a really exciting fight.
“What I need to do to get my hand raised is just be myself, honestly. Just be present in there and believe in myself the whole way through. Have fun with it, go in there and just let everything go. Sometimes I don’t get to show all of [my potential] in there, and that’s unfortunate in this game, but if you can let go of your full potential, that’s all you can do in there.”
UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs Jandiroba took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. See the Final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!