Brian Matthew Kelleher[3] (born August 19, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist.
[5][4] Kelleher competed in a variety of sports from a young age including ice hockey, soccer and bowling.
[6] Kelleher made his promotional debut against Iuri Alcântara on short notice at UFC 212 on June 3, 2017.
[7] He won the fight via submission due to a guillotine choke in the first round and was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus.
[18] Pilarte was forced to withdraw from the bout, citing an injury, and Kelleher is now slated to face Montel Jackson.
[20] On November 3, it was reported that Kelleher withdrew from the bout due to illness and thus the fight was cancelled.
[25] However, Kelleher pulled out of the fight on April 10, citing an injury, and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Cole Smith.
[26] As the last fight of his prevailing contract, Kelleher faced Ode' Osbourne at UFC 246 on January 18, 2020.
[30] After negotiating a new contract, Kelleher faced Hunter Azure in a featherweight contest on May 13, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs.
[35] However, Simón's cornerman tested positive for COVID-19 and he was forced to withdraw from the event,[36] and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Kevin Natividad.
[37] In turn, Natividad was pulled from the matchup on the day of the event due to undisclosed reasons, and he was replaced by fellow newcomer Ray Rodriguez, who weighed in as a backup.
[42] He was replaced by newcomer Gaetano Pirello and the bout will take place four days later at UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs.
[43] The bout between Kelleher and Ricky Simón was rebooked for the third time and took place at UFC 258 on February 13, 2021.