There goes my rematch….
🤣🤣🤣
— Adrian Yanez (@yanezmma)
July 7, 2022
Those that celebrated Tony
Kelley’s recent defeat will rejoice with the news that his
Ultimate Fighting Championship run has
ended.
Automated Twitter account UFCRosterWatch
posted on Thursday that Kelley (8-3) has been removed from the UFC
roster. This does not necessarily mean that he was cut, as he
competed four times from 2020 to 2022 – the UFC often provides
fighters with four-fight contracts – but it does indicate that he
has not been re-signed if his contract ended. Recent opponent
Adrian
Yanez posted on Twitter about the ending of Kelley’s UFC deal,
stating, “There goes my rematch,” accompanied by laughing
emojis.
Kelley suffered a loss in a grudge match with Yanez in June, where
the Texas native destroyed him in less than four minutes. The
defeat snapped a two-fight win streak that saw him beat Ali AlQaisi
and Randy Costa
inside the Octagon. After losing to Yanez, Kelley vied for a
rematch, claiming that Yanez was “scared” of him. The animosity
ahead of the matchup built up due to Kelley’s comments as a
cornerman for partner Andrea Lee
against Viviane
Araujo at a recent UFC card, in which Kelley made disparaging
comments about Brazilian fighters.
In that fight, Kelley issued instructions to Lee, and he claimed
that Araujo was cheating. “That’s what they’re going to do, they’re
dirty f—ing Brazilians, they’re going to f—ing cheat like
that,” Kelley remarked. Much of the MMA community rallied together
to cry foul for his comments, in which he doubled down by blaming
“cancel culture.” He then replied to a dismissive comment by
writing, unprompted, “You Latinos like eating dirt and sh**?? I’m
no savage..Have some self respect.” According to Yanez after the fight,
even UFC staff members were cheering for Yanez and imploring him to
lay waste to Kelley.