Daniel Kelly Gets Busted Open, but Takes the Win Over Chris Camozzi (UFC Melbourne Results) | MMAWeekly.com

Daniel Kelly’s face may have told another story at the end of the fight, but he pulled out the victory over Chris Camozzi at UFC Fight Night 101 on Saturday (Sunday local time) in Melbourne, Australia. 

Camozzi got off to a strong start using his jab and lead leg kicks to keep Kelly’s powerful left hand at bay. It worked well for several minutes, but Kelly kept looping big overhand punches. They mostly missed, but he took some of the wind out of Camozzi’s sails about three minutes into the round, when he landed several hard lefts. 

Camozzi swung the fight back in his favor, landing a left elbow on a charging Kelly that sliced him open across his scalp line. It wasn’t a dangerous cut, but it bled steadily for the remainder of the fight, painting Kelly’s face and the canvas with a crimson sheen.

Kelly took the fight back in the second stanza, as he tripped Camozzi to the canvas early and kept him there for the remainder of the round. While he didn’t do a lot of visible damage, Kelly maintained control and kept feeding a steady supply of ground and pound, doing some strong work with several knees to the ribs from side control.

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Though you’d expect it to be the 39-year-old Aussie to fade as the fight wore on, he only seemed to gain steam heading into the final round. 

While Camozzi is the more technically proficient striker of the two, Kelly outgunned him on power punches, while Camozzi mostly countered and jabbed to start the third round.

Kelly kept pressing forward, eventually securing a takedown in the final minute-and-a-half of the round. He controlled the remainder of the fight on the canvas, passing to side control and jackhammering with his left hand in the waning seconds of the fight.

“I thought I had the first two rounds anyway (although) he cut me up a little bit,” said Kelly after the judges issued a unanimous decision in his favor.

“I knew if it went to time after the first two rounds, it was a good chance of winning the fight and I did.”

Kelly is now on a three-fight winning streak, and upped his overall record to 12-1, likely punching his ticket into more high profile fights.

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