Daniel Kelly on Rashad Evans' future after UFC 209: 'He doesn't need to be done yet'

LAS VEGAS – Daniel Kelly said he’s not really in a position to tell another fighter he should retire. Not when you’re in your second combat-sports career, you’re pushing 40, and your “body’s maybe 50.”

On Saturday’s UFC 209 pay-per-view main card, the quietly streaking Kelly (13-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) picked up his biggest MMA win yet and scored a narrow split-decision win over former light-heavyweight champion Rashad Evans (19-6-1 MMA, 14-6-1 UFC), who was making his middleweight debut.

Kelly, the only Australian judoka to compete in four different Olympic games, has won four straight MMA fights and is 6-1 since joining the UFC after a stint on “The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia” in 2013.

Evans, who was as much as a 3-1 favorite heading into the bout, has now lost three straight fights and five of his past seven. Is it time for 37-year-old “Suga” to consider calling it quits?

“No, no – he doesn’t need to be done yet,” said Kelly, who turns 40 later this year. “It was his first cut down to 185. He’s still fit and strong.

“If I can get through the first two or three minutes against anyone, I think I’ve proven that it’s going to be a nightmare matchup (for my opponent). Because Rashad is so explosive and such a great athlete, it’s going to be hard for him. I got very tired fighting him. I was so tired, and so was he. If he wants to keep going, he should. I don’t think it’s the end for him.”

But what about Kelly’s own future? With wins over the likes of Evans, Antonio Carlos Junior and Chris Camozzi, he’s hoping to break into the rankings soon. Heading into UFC 209, he’s wasn’t in the top 15 of the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings, nor was he in the top 15 of the official UFC rankings.

“My aim when I got signed (by the UFC) was to have 10 fights,” he said. “I’m 6-1 (in the UFC) now, so I’ll get the 10 fights no problem. And as long as the body holds up, which it is despite all the tape you see (on a surgically repaired knee), then I’ll keep going.

“I’m 40 at the end of the year, but we’re going OK. We’re really smart with our training and our preparation. So, for as long as the body holds together and I’m fighting well, then I’ll keep fighting.”

So, as he looks for a 7-1 start to his UFC career, who’s next? Kelly said the top six fighters in the division are pretty much set in the title picture and likely to fight each other.

But outside of the likes of champ Michael Bisping, Yoel Romero, Luke Rockhold, Ronaldo Souza, Chris Weidman and Robert Whittaker?

“Anyone outside of that – with a full training camp – I’m more than a match for,” he said.

For more on UFC 209, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.