Attempting to put his MMA career back on track, Dubliner Nathan Kelly [11-40] goes up against Canadian featherweight Fred Dupras [8-2] on the Early Card of the 2025 Professional Fighters League [PFL] World Tournament Finals in Atlantic City this Friday night. The contest at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall will be broadcast live globally via ESPN+, ESPN, and the DAZN sports streaming service.
Kelly is one of Ireland’s top MMA prospects, under the direction of John Kavanagh at SBG Ireland - but his path to success was far from easy. After a promising start to his fighting career, he disappeared from the sport for three years, grappling with an addiction that nearly derailed his life. During that time, he battled mental health issues and anxiety while trying to pull himself out of a self-destructive spiral.
Today, Kelly is not only focused and committed to using his platform to inspire the next generation in Ireland, but he’s also breaking new ground for Irish athletes in MMA—showing that success on a global stage is possible.
Reflecting on his journey, he said, “I was in a bad position… but with a bit of self-help and willpower, I got myself out of that. I want to show people that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it.”
Ray Sefo, the PFL- President termed Kelly’s latest match as hugely important.
“Nathan Kelly knows this is a must-win fight for him and he’s gonna make sure that he’s well prepared and done everything to show up on fight night and put on a good fight,” said the six-time World Kick Boxing and Muay Thai champion.
“I think Dupras and Kelly are pretty much evenly matched. Obviously, Nathan Kelly has a little bit more experience, but in terms of the fight they [are] both coming off losses, they’re both gamers and so I think it just comes down to whoever wants it more. The Irish fans love a good scrap, and yes, we have a lot of Irish fans as well," Sefo added.
In the main event at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall undefeated, Haitian sensation Thad Jean [10-0] meets former Interim Bellator World Champion Logan Storley [18-3] in a welterweight final. The co-main event sees a battle between two former champions, as 2023 PFL featherweight champion Jesus Pinedo [25-6-1] takes on unbeaten 2021 PFL featherweight champion Movlid Khaybulaev [23-0-1, 1 NC] in a high-stakes showdown to reclaim divisional supremacy. Both finals are scheduled for five, five-minute rounds, with the winners crowned as PFL Tournament Champions and earning their share of over $20 million in prize money.
Tickets for the event are available at Ticketmaster. The Early Card begins at 6 pm ET, with the Main Card kicking off at 9 pm ET.
