LAS VEGAS – Daniel Kelly was taken off guard just as much as anyone when he was booked to fight against former UFC champion Rashad Evans at UFC 209.
Kelly (12-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) is riding a three-fight winning streak, but no one he has faced during that stretch has done as much in the sport as the former light heavyweight champion Evans (19-5-1 MMA, 14-5-1 UFC). “Suga” is making his middleweight debut, but instead of facing a top-tier opponent as he’s faced for the majority of his career, he was pitted against the unranked Australian.
Some might view the matchup as a tune-up for Evans as he moves to a new weight class, but for Kelly he sees it as a chance to prove his worth.
“I was surprised as well (by the fight offer) and what a great opportunity to fight an icon of the sport, so I was really excited,” Kelly told MMAjunkie at today’s UFC 209 media day. “I thought I was close to getting a ranked opponent after the guys I beat, especially the last two. But this is much bigger than fighting anyone outside of the top five or six in the division, so I’m really, really happy and lucky.”
UFC 209 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. Kelly vs. Evans airs on the pay-per-view main card following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.
Evans has competed just twice in the past three years and has lost both of those contests. The skid prompted the 37-year-old to drop down to 185 pounds, but it’s difficult to gauge exactly what to expect out of him at this point in his career.
Kelly, 39, is as eager as anyone to see which version of the former UFC champ shows up on fight night, but said he is preparing for the most dangerous version of Evans to date.
“You do the same thing you always do: I look at the best Rashad, look at vintage Rashad, and that’s what you prepare for,” Kelly said. “I always concentrate on what I can do to him rather than what he’s going to do to me. Obviously you have to be aware of the fast boxing, he’s an explosive athlete with awesome wrestling. But at the end of the day I’ve got to work out a way that I can win a fight, not just worry about what he’s going to do to me.”
Kelly has been largely underestimated over the course of his UFC run, coming into all but one of his octagon appearances as the betting underdog. The situation won’t be any different against Evans, but Kelly once again anticipates upsetting the odds and pulling off a triumphant performance.
If that’s how the fight plays out, then Kelly would have six wins in seven UFC appearances, and at that point he said his place in the middleweight pecking order can’t be denied.
“If I beat Rashad that definitely gives me a ranked opponent in the next fight, which is awesome,” Kelly said. “But we’ll just worry about Saturday night for now.”
And for more on UFC 209, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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