JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Brian Kelleher beat Hunter Azure with a second-round knockout Wednesday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN+ 29 in Jacksonville, Fla.
Take a look inside the fight with Kelleher, who won for the second straight time.
Result: Brian Kelleher def. Hunter Azure via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 3:42
Updated records: Kelleher (21-10 MMA, 5-3 UFC), Hunter Azure (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
Key stat: Azure won the striking battle, 67-32, but Kelleher landed the big shots that counted in the second.
Kelleher on the fight’s key moment
“First round, I start slow a lot of the time. I think he knew that, and he was coming out kind of powerful.”
Kelleher on having no fans in the arena
“It was still kind of cool because I heard (announcers) Jon Anik and (Paul) Felder like, ‘Whoa!’ I heard that crystal clear, so that was cool to hear. I felt like I handled it really well – no fans, just kind of kept focused, looked straight ahead, and just went with the flow of things.”
Kelleher on what he wants next
“I told (Dana White) I want my tie-dyed (Reebok) shorts. … And I told him to roll Sean O’Malley up in a joint so I can smoke his ass. It’s kind of obvious the UFC loves the guy. He’s got a lot of hype behind him and he’s one of those stars in the making-type people. For me, it’s a business move. It’s nothing personal. I want to steal that hype. I want to make myself a star in the sport.”
To hear more from Kelleher, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
