MMA fighter Brian Kelleher‘s return to the sport is uncertain after the discovery of an injury that canceled his UFC Vegas 72 fight with Journey Newson.
Veteran bantamweight Brian Kelleher is uncertain about when he will return to the sport after an injury forced the cancellation of his UFC Vegas 72 fight with Journey Newson. Kelleher was ruled out of Saturday’s event on Wednesday during the preliminary card matchup at UFC APEX. Marcus McGhee replaced him and went on to secure a second-round submission victory.
Details on Kelleher’s withdrawal were scarce, but he shared some information in an Instagram post, stating that the UFC discovered an injury that the promotion “just isn’t comfortable with.” The bout was supposed to be Kelleher’s 16th appearance inside the octagon. Although he did not specify the nature of the injury, Kelleher revealed that his future is now unclear and “will be on stand still.”
In his full statement, Kelleher expressed gratitude to his supporters and hope that things might change in the future, allowing him to continue pursuing his dreams. He said, “Sometimes life takes over and changes your s*** right up on the fly… I still have hope that things will change and I can continue to do what I was born to do but only the future knows. Thank you to everybody who has shown me love along the way.” Kelleher’s current professional record is 24-14, with a UFC record of 8-7.