I was a manager at Aldi daydreaming of MMA stardom… now I’m on unbeaten streak and eyeing world title shot

WHEN Nathan Kelly was stacking shelves at Aldi – he was only daydreaming of the MMA career he has now. 

The Irishman lost his first two professional bouts in the cage but has won every one since – recently improving to 11-2. 

In February 2022, Kelly defeated Scott Pedersen on a Friday night – by the end of the weekend he was back running the supermarket store. 

It was then the featherweight took the gamble to quit his job to train and fight full time – soon after signing for the Professional Fighters League. 

Kelly, 27, told SunSport: “I used to be a manager in Aldi and then I left. 

“I fought on Bellator in February of 2022, I fought on the Friday and was back at work on the Monday. 

“And I went in and I just got a smack of reality in the face, and I was just like, ‘Oh f*** this. 

“And I just said to myself, ‘Look, if I’m going to do it, I know what I’m capable of doing, if I’m going to do this, I need to do it all in.’

“Rather than half a**e it or have that excuse of, ‘Oh I have a job.’ I’d rather give me everything and fail than half a**e it and say, ‘Oh what could have been.’

“So I decided to leave the job and that August then I started with the PFL, so it all worked out for me perfectly. It was the right decision.”

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Kelly would often battle urges to pack up his MMA dreams – before convincing himself to fight on.

He said: “Sometimes I’d be like, ‘Oh I can’t, this is too hard to do this.’

“And then sometimes I’d be like, ‘No, that’s my little bad angel taking over on the shoulder trying to get me to stay in a comfort zone.  

“I’d have shifts where I’m working there, stacking the shelves or as a manager I’m dealing with money and I’m just daydreaming about fighting. 

“Then I’m like coming back to reality and then I’m like, ‘Oh right, how much money did I count there?’ Then some days I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m too tired to even do anything.’  

“But I think the overall goal imprinted in the back of my mind, I really, really wanted to just give it a shot.” 

Kelly last year signed for the PFL, who acquired the Bellator roster he formerly fought for. 

He now returns on Saturday in Dubai against Akhmed Magomedov – after Khasan Magomedsharipov pulled out. 

I fought on the Friday and was back at work on the Monday. And I went in and I just got a smack of reality in the face

Nathan Kelly

And it marks another chance for Kelly to improve his winning run that has managed to sneak under the radar. 

He said: “I think if Khasan hadn’t have pulled out, beating a guy like him, people would have went, ‘Oh right, this win streak actually is legit.

“Because it’s until people actually think you beat someone that they value, they might not value your success but look, I’m on an 11-fight win streak, nine of them are first-round finishes. 

“I could be grinding out boring decisions and stuff like that, but I’m going in and taking lads out in the first round. 

“So I’ll show you how dominant I am if I am supposed to beat someone on paper.”

The card is topped by Usman Nurmagomedov – cousin of the legendary Khabib – fighting Irish star Paul Hughes. 

It comes seven years after Khabib famously defeated Dublin’s Conor McGregor in MMA’s biggest pay-per-view bout of all time.