Zuffa Fills UFC 123 Injury Void

Based at Team Kaobon in Liverpool, England, Kelly has lost two of his last three fights. The 26-year-old has not competed since being outpointed by Minnesota Martial Arts Academy standout Jacob Volkmann in a unanimous decision defeat at UFC Live 2 three months ago. Kelly sports a 4-3 mark inside the Octagon and owns notable victories over HIT Squad representative Matt Veach and “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 quarter-finalist Roli Delgado. He has never lost back-to-back bouts.

O’Brien was eliminated from Season 12 of “The Ultimate Fighter” during the qualifying round, as he was knocked out in 13 seconds by Marc Stevens. The 23-year-old Prole, Iowa-based lightweight will carry a six-fight winning streak into his promotional debut. O’Brien last appeared on Oct. 22, when he submitted Josh Henry with a first-round rear-naked choke under the Midwest Cage Championships banner in Des Moines, Iowa. He has secured 15 of his 16 career victories by submission, 10 of them by triangle choke. In 19 professional bouts, O’Brien has never gone the distance.

A light heavyweight showdown between former champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Lyoto Machida will headline UFC 123, along with the rubber match between UFC hall of famer Matt Hughes and former two-division titleholder B.J. Penn.

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida
B.J. Penn vs. Matt Hughes
Aaron Simpson vs. Mark Munoz
Gerald Harris vs. Maiquel Jose Falcao Goncalves
George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Lauzon
Brian Foster vs. Matt Brown
Tyson Griffin vs. Nik Lentz
Phil Davis vs. Tim Boetsch
Edson Barboza vs. Darren Elkins
Karo Parisyan vs. Dennis Hallman
Paul Kelly vs. T.J. O’Brien