Home » UFC » Former UFC star Paul Kelly set to return to MMA after prison spell

Paul Kelly had nine fights in the UFC but was sent to prison in 2013

Paul Kelly, a former UFC star, is set to return to the world of MMA after missing out for nearly seven years.

The 35-year-old Englishman had nine fights in the UFC and had a 5-4 record, but his exit from the world of MMA is the bigger story.

Kelly was convicted on charges of heroin trafficking in the UK and was given a prison sentence of 13 years in 2013.

However, he was released in 2019 and recently posted on his Instagram account that he is ready to fight.

https://twitter.com/probellum/status/1216413639281868800?s=20

Kelly hasn’t fought in any MMA promotion since 2013 and it will be interesting to see how things go with him.

The English fighter will main event the Probellum Liverpool fight on 7 March, however, no opponent has been named yet.

Kelly’s MMA journey

The 35-year-old had a fantastic start to his MMA career as he won his first eight fights, including one in the UFC.

Paul Kelly UFC
Paul Kelly spent a few years in prison for heroin trafficking (Image credit: MMA Fighting)

His last UFC fight was a loss to Donald Cerrone before he tried out in other MMA promotions. Kelly featured in the Super Fight League, an India-based MMA competition, and also fought a couple of times in England before his conviction.

The Englishman paid his dues over the past few years, and hopefully, he can get his MMA career back on track.

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Kelly did speak about recovering after his time in prison and told the Liverpool Echo that being sent to prison was possibly the best thing to have happened to him.

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