PFL 2025 World Tournament Dark Horse: Nathan Kelly

The Professional Fighters League featherweight division will step into the spotlight with the start of the PFL 2025 World Tournament on Thursday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. Plenty of intriguing names fill out the eight-man bracket, from former PFL champions Jesus Pinedo and Movlid Khaybulaev to onetime Bellator MMA title contenders Jeremy Kennedy and Adam Borics.

Those four names alone make for appointment viewing at PFL 2025 World Tournament First Round 1, but for those hunting a dark horse, there may be no better candidate than Nathan Kelly. Already highly successful at 27 years of age, the Irishman has won 11 of his past 12 bouts. Kelly last saw action at PFL Champions Series 1, where a second-round rear-naked choke submission loss to ex-Alliance Fighting Championships titleholder Akhmed Magomedov snapped an 11-fight winning streak on Jan. 25.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Kelly now gets the chance to flex his resilience and bounce back in a big way, as he takes on organizational newcomer Tae Kyun Kim in a featherweight quarterfinal. While a veritable murderer’s row awaits the winner, opportunity still knocks. Kelly has delivered nine of his 11 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission, establishing himself as a proven finisher who can operate successfully no matter where the fight goes. The ability to put away opponents can serve Kelly well in a tournament setting, where quick finishes would theoretically result in his taking less damage.

Widespread calls for Kelly to test himself against tougher competition are set to be answered in the eight-man draw. He offers many of the traits the PFL likes in its fighters, most notably an ability to entertain the masses on a consistent basis. So long as he can put checks in the win column, Kelly figures to hold a prominent place on the roster for the foreseeable future.

Kelly does not need to look any further than countryman Paul Hughes for his roadmap. A former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titlist, Hughes has taken the company by storm in memorable battles with A.J. McKee and Usman Nurmagomedov. Kelly has a chance to follow in his footsteps and could open the door even further for Irish fighters on the rise, provided he can prove he belongs among the sport’s best at 145 pounds. A run to a PFL tournament championship would certainly do the trick for the SBG Ireland representative.