Irish featherweight Nathan Kelly has been paired up with Akhmed Magomedov at this Saturday’s PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai card, an event that is being billed as Ireland vs. Russia.
That’s thanks in part to the main event, which sees Russian lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov put his title on the line against Ireland’s Paul Hughes. There are a couple of other Ireland vs. Russia match-ups on the card, including Kelly (11-2), who certainly sees the appeal of the format.
“I think that’s the hype behind it. I think since Conor [McGregor] and Khabib [Nurmagomedov] had their rivalry, there’s kind of been a natural, unspoken rivalry between the Irish and the Russians,” Kelly told Cageside Press in a recent interview. “And obviously the PFL and Bellator have seen the opportunity to market it this way.”
“In terms of combat sports, it’s a tale as old as time, whether it be boxing or whatever combat sport it may be,” he continued. “There is national pride there, they don’t want to lose to us Irish, we don’t want to lose to them Russians, so you can guarantee that both counties will be trying to do their best to win for their country on the night. And I’m going to be doing my best to be winning the bout for the Irish and take home a win for the Irish flag.”
Despite the card’s strong Russian and Irish ties, it’s taking place in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. While travel can be daunting for fighters, Kelly had traveled to the area to in November visit his girlfriend, and wound up just tacking extra time onto his trip.
“I was coming out anyway just to see my girlfriend, but then the fight came about. I got offered the fight, and to fight in Dubai. So I thought, while I’m out here, I may as well just stay on a little bit longer,” he recalled. “I was planning to go home the fifth of January, but since the fight is the end of January, I just said I’d stay on a little bit longer. I’m go to live here til then, and then maybe stay a little bit longer. Then after the fight, I’ll assess where I’m at then, if I want to go home or not. Just taking it day by day for now up until the fight, and then I’ll assess what happens next.”
While there have been many complaints, especially from the Bellator roster, about the promotion’s inability to keep them active since the merger with PFL, Nathan Kelly has managed to stay busy.
“It’s been good, I’ve been busy, which is what every fighter wants,” said Kelly, noting that in 2022 he had three fights (two between Bellator and PFL), followed by three PFL fights in 2023, and two Bellator dates last year. “Kicking off 2025 with a fight straight in the first month of the year, in terms of a work and business perspective, I couldn’t be happier. I’m busy, which is what professional fighters need. We need to be busy, we need to keep active, we need to be fighting consistently. I’m blessed and fortunate to be getting this opportunity to do so.”
Watch our full interview with PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai featherweight Nathan Kelly above. The event takes place on Saturday, January 25, 2025.
