Tony Kelley Off UFC Roster Following Knockout Loss to Adrian Yanez

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.