Brian Kelleher announces he will walk out with the Ukrainian flag against Russia's Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 272
Brian Kelleher will show his support for Ukraine in his upcoming fight at UFC 272.
Some combat sports athletes have been expressing their thoughts on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. UFC featherweight Brian Kelleher, who is set to face Russia's Umar Nurmagomedov, is one of them.
Kelleher is an American, but he is apparently siding with Ukraine. On Twitter, 'Boom' announced that he will bring the Ukrainian flag when he does his walkout at UFC 272:
"I'm walking out with the Ukrainian flag"
I’m walking out with the Ukrainian flag 🇺🇦
Umar is a cousin of UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov. Despite the association, Kelleher feels that Umar is different from other Russian fighters he has seen in the past.
In a recent interview with The AllStar, he stated:
“For me, without the name, I don’t really see the same thing from these other Russian fighters that I do with him. Yes, he [Umar] does seem to like to grapple and shoot takedowns. Time those shots and stay tight with his grappling. But to me, he seems to be primarily a kickboxer. With that karate stance, kind of throw that checkmark kick a lot, switch stances and stuff. But he’s sharp. He’s not the most aggressive guy on the feet but he knows what he likes to do.”
Nevertheless, Kelleher is not underestimating his opponent. For the UFC veteran, the fact that Umar is unbeaten keeps him extra motivated heading into the bout:
“But everyone’s good in the UFC. To me, it’s just another fight against another good guy that’s undefeated. That’s a big motivation for me."
Watch Kelleher's full interview with The AllStar below:
As it stands, Kelleher is coming in as the more experienced fighter, having gone 8-5 in the UFC. Meanwhile, Umar (13-0) will try to secure his second win in the promotion.
Brian Kelleher wanted to make the most of the spotlight by name-dropping Conor McGregor
The Conor McGregor-Khabib Nurmagomedov feud is one of the most historic UFC rivalries of all time. With Umar sharing the same surname as Khabib, Kelleher decided to mention McGregor to add more excitement.
Brian Kelleher tagged 'Notorious' on Twitter and asked if the Irishman could corner him in his upcoming fight. Unfortunately, McGregor didn't respond. However, 'Boom' admitted that he wasn't really serious about it.
@TheNotoriousMMA hey would you like to corner me in my next fight at ufc 272 against khabibs cousin umar
According to the 35-year-old, he is aware that he and Umar are not big-name fighters. Hence, he just wanted to build a little hype ahead of the fight.