Carmen Mandato/Getty Adrian Yanez celebrates defeating Tony Kelley in their bantamweight fight at the UFC Fight Night event at Moody Center on June 18, 2022 in Austin, Texas.
Controversial fighter Tony Kelley has been removed from the UFC roster weeks after his knockout loss to rising bantamweight star Adrian Yanez in Austin. Kelley took to Instagram to take a parting shot at Yanez and said he is “looking at some other things.”
News of Kelley’s departure from the UFC first came from the automated Twitter account “UFC Roster Watch,” which tracks additions and subtractions on the company’s fighter list on its website, on July 7. Kelley’s management has not commented on the situation, but the UFC told MMA Fighting that Kelley finished his contract and was not re-signed.
Yanez, who recently entered the UFC bantamweight rankings at No. 15, responded to the news by tweeting, “There goes my rematch….🤣🤣🤣.”
The 35-year-old Kelley went 2-2 during his UFC run, which began in August 2020 with a loss to Kai Kamaka III. The Louisiana native beat Ali AlQaisi and Randy Costa in 2020 and 2021 before falling to Yanez in June. Kelley is 8-3 in his MMA career.
Kelley Told Yanez on Instagram ‘Don’t Count Out Seeing Me Down the Road Boy’
Carmen Mandato/GettyAdrian Yanez celebrates defeating Tony Kelley in their bantamweight fight at the UFC Fight Night event at Moody Center on June 18, 2022 in Austin, Texas.
On Instagram, Kelley responded to his release and Yanez’s comments, writing in his story, “You know you don’t really want this rematch home boy…you & that gaping vagina I left above your eye know it. You got blessed bro. @adrianyanez93 ……. #15??? After who?? Exactly…”
He added, “@UFC didn’t wanna make that fight happen again so I’m looking at some other things at the moment. Don’t count out seeing me again down the road boy.”
Kelley sparked controversy in May 2022 while cornering his girlfriend, Andrea Lee, during her fight against Viviane Araújo, who is from Brazil. In between rounds, ESPN’s mics picked up Kelley telling Lee, “That’s what they’re going to do, they’re dirty f***** Brazilians. They’re going to f***** cheat like that.”
On Twitter, Kelley said after his comments went viral, “Cancel Culture is real. What I said was real and in the heat of battle, and in no way had any type of racist connotations meant…but if that’s the way you take it, idgaf. So many people quick to say racist..that s**** getting so old. My reference was to a dirty eye poke.”
Yanez appeared to be ready to squash their beef after Kelley’s time in the UFC came to a close, tweeting, “Okay, I’m done. I found it funny. Lol. But on a serious note, hope he gets signed to a promotion, gets paid well, and has income coming in besides fighting. I might not like you, but Tony hope you’re good 👍” But he then added shortly after, “Nevermind, guy is on instagram talking s*** lol.”
Yanez, who is 5-0 in the UFC and picked up a $50,000 bonus for his KO of Kelley, said on Instagram, “Holy s*** the concussion still has you confused and wobbly. You’re only looking for other options cause the UFC ain’t giving you one lol. If they do, I’d have no problem signing that fight again, easiest check made.”
Yanez Said After UFC Austin That Kelley Called Him a ‘Wish Version of Masvidal’ During Their Fight
Yanez revealed some of the trash talk that took place in the Octagon before he knocked Kelley out in the first round of their June 8 fight in Texas. “In the middle when he started talking more s*** I was like, ‘Oh now I really don’t like you,'” Yanez told reporters after the fight. “He started calling me a ‘Wish version of Masvidal’ and now he kind of wishes he didn’t say that, you know?”
Kelley told Cageside Press in June after his loss to Yanez, “Yeah of course I said that, but obviously I misspoke and everyone who knows me knows that. But at the end of the day, to give a little bit of clarification on that, it was just regarding an eye poke, I don’t mean to categorize a whole nation of Brazil. I think most people understand that, but there’s other people who just want to play the victim on that.”
He added, “Actually I dislike everyone equally, I’ll put it that way. So I think pretty much I’ve answered all that, much love to my Brazilian fans and friends. If you don’t like what I said, I don’t know what to tell you on that, sorry. Sorry if you got your feelings hurt.”
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Controversial Fighter Breaks Silence After He’s Cut From UFC Roster