Darragh Kelly - Photo by Lucas Noonan for Bellator MMA
Darragh Kelly’s Outstanding Professional Debut
Darragh Kelly walked into the Bellator cage with something to prove, and he absolutely did.
The 23-year-old made his professional debut against Junior Morgan this past Friday at Bellator 275 in his home country of Ireland.
As Kelly walked to the cage, his home crowd welcomed him with a thunderous cheer. As the bout began, Kelly opened with a few strong calf kicks before taking Morgan down. From top position, Kelly rained down on Morgan with heavy fists and elbows before securing a guillotine choke and submitting Morgan.
And there it was, in just under two minutes the Ireland prospect obtained a spectacular victory in his professional debut.
In his post-fight interview, Kelly told media that with Conor Mcgregor in the crowd he “wanted to impress him.” Which it is safe to say that he did. He also stated that this debut “has been a long time coming” and that he is “ready to f*****g get [his] name out there.”
As an amateur, Darragh Kelly went 9-0 on European circuits. Now as a pro, he holds a 1-0 record with hopes to get a few more fights in this year.
It is easy to say that Kelly is a star in Ireland, and with a few more victories under the Bellator banner, we could be looking at a possible top contender in Bellator’s lightweight division.
One thing that Bellator is fantastic at is creating an atmosphere to let their fighters blossom, especially those who are homegrown (or have begun their professional careers with the organization). So it will be interesting to see what Bellator and Kelly decide for his next move, but without a doubt, Kelly will be one to watch as he rises with the organization.
WOW! 😮
Flawless. Phenomenal. Iconic.
Pick any of those three words to describe Darragh Kelly’s pro debut! 🇮🇪
What a win via first round guillotine!#Bellator275 pic.twitter.com/05Hte8YzZG
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) February 25, 2022
