Paul telly kelly future.....shortly after the UK-based fighter announced his return at UFC 112 on Thursday afternoon, media learned that Kelly (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) is set to face Matt Veach (11-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at the April event in Abu Dhabi.
Sources close to the negotiations indicate that at least one fighter has signed his bout agreement and the fight is a virtual lock.
UFC 112 takes place in Abu Dhabi at Concert Arena at the Ferrari World theme park on Yas Island. The main card, headlined by middleweight champ Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort, airs on pay-per-view.
Kelly vs. Veach is expected to be part of the night's un-aired preliminary card.
Kelly, a British fighter who made his pro debut in late 2005, looks to rebound from a TKO loss to Denis Siver that came via spinning back kick at November's UFC 105 event. The loss, which was just the second of his career, derailed the momentum he had built with back-to-back unanimous-decision victories over Troy Mandaloniz (UFC 95) and Roli Delgado (UFC 99).
Kelly 's only other career loss came to Marcus Davis at UFC 89 in 2008.
In his most recent appearance, Veach took a significant step up in competition when he faced now-top contender Frankie Edgar at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale this past December. The H.I.T. squad-trained fighter was submitted in the second round. The loss was Veach's first setback in 12 professional appearances.
Veach made his octagon debut 10 months prior with a first-round TKO victory over Matt Grice.
Taylor drops to Light weight
Paul Taylor (10-5-1 MMA, 3-4 UFC) has dropped from welterweight to lightweight and signed to fight John Gunderson (22-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at UFC 112 in April.
Sources close to both competitors say the fight is set for the preliminary card of the event.
UFC 112 takes place in Abu Dhabi at Concert Arena at the Ferrari World theme park on Yas Island. The main card, headlined by middleweight champ Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort, airs on pay-per-view.
Taylor, who makes his eighth UFC appearance (on his eighth non-U.S. fight card), most recently dropped a unanimous decision to John Hathaway at UFC 105 in November. While certainly not one of the division's smallest welterweights, the 6-foot-tall British fighter felt he'd have a bigger edge in the 155-pound division.
With four losses in his past six fights (and after going to decision in his past five bouts), Taylor likely finds himself in a must-win situation when he meets Gunderson.
Gunderson, a IFL and Palace Fighting Championships veteran, made his UFC debut in January after a 5-1 run (with four submission victories) in a variety of promotions. Gunderson, though, suffered a decision loss to Rafaello Oliveira in a UFC 108 preliminary-card bout.
Like Taylor, Gunderson is now in a must-win situation if he hopes to remains in the UFC.