Nate Kelly Predicts a Finish Over Scott Pedersen in Bellator Debut: “I can psychologically break him!”
Video interview with Nate Kelly above
SBG Ireland’s Nate Kelly (3-2) is predicting a finish over Scott Pedersen (1-2) at Bellator 275. The featherweight matchup—which will serve as both Kelly and Pedersen’s Bellator debuts—is scheduled for Friday, February 25 inside Dublin’s 3Arena.
Speaking to MyMMANews.com, Kelly detailed the holes he sees in Pedersen’s fighting style:
“When he comes up against a good grappler, he kind of struggles a bit. He likes to stay on the outside and not be smothered by the grappler. When he comes up against a bad grappler, he outshines them in the grappling.”
Pedersen, who trains out of Shore Mixed Martial Arts alongside the likes of undefeated UFC bantamweight Jack Shore (15-0) and Bellator bantamweight Brett Johns (17-3), boasts a wealth of fighting experience. “Denkharft” logged a 6-year amateur MMA career spanning 25 fights before making the jump to the pro ranks. However, the 25-year old’s 2021 stint with Cage Warriors was a rocky one, coming up short against Matthew Elliott and Nik Bagley.
Though it’s undeniable that the Welshman will be the more experienced of the pair, Kelly doesn’t subscribe to the belief that Pedersen’s cage time will be a factor in the outcome of their matchup:
“I just think I’m dominating this fight from start to finish. As much as he is experienced, I just think I’m a different animal now than I ever was. I’m sparring lads who are elite level in Europe. I just don’t see how he’s going to have anything for me that I don’t see every single day,” Kelly told MyMMANews.com.
After an underwhelming start to his own pro career saw him lose consecutive fights, Kelly has looked a force to be reckoned with ever since. In 2021, the Dubliner notched back-to-back first-round finishes, scoring a 9-second KO over Rogger Lopez before stopping then undefeated Shem Rock in the first round to capture the Clan Wars featherweight title. Though Kelly stems from a grappling background, the BJJ black belt has reason to see himself as a born-again KO artist after his 2021 performances. Now a dual threat, the Finglas native is brimming with confidence that the matchup will play to his advantage irrespective of through which fighting discipline he and Pedersen engage in.
“I have first-round knockout power in my hands. So, when I land clean I have that capability to finish him in round 1, as I’ve shown in my last two fights. So, if his plan is to stand and strike with me and keep away from me, I just don’t see how it’s going to end well for him, because I can land clean shots and really rattle his cage and make him panic. If that is his game plan and I hit him hard, he’s going to have to panic wrestle or panic grapple, which I will prey on. That’s what I’m best at. I’m best at making people panic and shoot for their life. If he shoots, he’s falling right into my trap, and that’s where I want him to be. If I don’t knock him out, I’ll definitely out grapple him, hopefully submit.”
Eager to put on a show in front of a raucous hometown Dublin crowd, Kelly is predicting the cage-side judges will be surplus to requirements on fight night when he squares off against Pedersen. While the method is as of yet unclear, the finality of the outcome is an expectation:
“On the night, I’m predicting a finish. I don’t know what way it’s going to come, but I do think I will finish him. If it’s knockout, great! If it’s submission, great! But I’m coming in for the win, gunning for it! Especially with the crowd I’m bringing, I’m gonna use all that energy to really spur me on and use that energy that I get from them to pierce through him and pierce through his soul. Like I said, I think if I upset his game plan from the start, I think I can psychologically break him, which is what I want to do,” Kelly proclaimed to MyMMANews.com
Nate Kelly vs Scott Pedersen will take place on the prelim portion of Bellator 275, which takes place on Friday 25th February in Dublin’s 3Arena.
