Dan Kelly has fought his last fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The man affectionately dubbed “Dad,” “Dad Bod Catterall” and — most inventively — as the “highly decorated general of Dad’s Army,” claims that after lobbying diligently to book a retirement fight at UFC 234, the promotion made it clear it wasn’t interested in what it was selling. He will hang up the gloves with an impressive 10 fights under the UFC banner and winning record of 6-4 (13-4 total), with notable victories over former 205-pound champion Rashad Evans and long-time middleweight contender Chris Camozzi.
Speaking to Sherdog.com, Kelly weighed in on the UFC’s decision to deny him his swan song and reflected on his career with the promotion since graduating from “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2014. “Dad” expressed disappointment that the organization wasn’t interested in his idea to walk out to the Octagon one last time with his son Eric, who suffers from cystinosis and will likely undergo a kidney transplant in the near future.
“My manager spoke to [the UFC], and matchmaker Sean [Shelby] said that his portion of the card was full and that I won’t be on the card” Kelly said. “That happened just before Christmas…. The door’s closed with the UFC. If they’re not going to put me on in Melbourne, when I’ve had some really big performances down here, it ain’t gonna happen. It is what it is, I’m 41 years-old and I don’t see myself making another run. I think that’s it.”
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Jacob Debets 