Paul Kelly, a nine-fight UFC veteran, served a six-year prison sentence – four of them behind bars – after being found guilty of heroin trafficking in 2013. Now with his freedom back, the 35-year-old is set to make his return to MMA next month at Probellum Liverpool 1. He has no idea what’s in store for his fighting future. But he knows he’ll “be all right” because of the critical knowledge obtained while behind bars.

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If he could go back in time, Paul Kelly wouldn’t change a thing.

According to the Liverpool, England native, he’d left a life of crime behind years prior to being sentenced to 13 years in prison for heroin trafficking – and for good reason. Kelly (14-5) took a knife to the face in a drug-related incident in the lead-up to his 2008 fight vs. Marcus Davis.

The skeletons in Kelly’s closet eventually caught up to the nine-fight UFC veteran. He accepted it – and knew it was coming. It was finally time to pay the piper.

“Sooner or later you get burned,” Kelly told MMA Junkie. “I think I always expected to get burned at some point, but I didn’t think I was going to get burned at that time. I was done with it. I was done with that life, and it came back at me, but I’m a real guy. I’ve got real expectations. You can’t bitch or moan about it. You’ve just got to get on with it. If you slap someone in the face , nd they punch you back, you can’t moan about it. You’ve just got to get on with it. … I end up coming home. I stayed home for the funeral. When I got back, I didn’t even have clothes here. I was done with this country and that whole situation.”

Kelly spent four years locked up, a trying time in maximum security prison. Kelly was trapped in his own thoughts – thoughts of his athletic career being put on hold, thoughts of not being able to be with his family, and the dastardly thoughts of “what if.”

“You literally break down life day by day,” Kelly said. “It gives you the opportunity to look at it through different eyes and a different perspective. You put your positive spin on it. ‘It’s just jail.’ But you can make of it what you will. That’s what I did.”

Food for thought

Paul Kelly. (Photo courtesy of Probellum MMA)

Through the ups and downs, Kelly learned a lot about himself – and the person he wanted to become. Slowly but surely, he laid the foundation of a new-and-improved version of himself. He sought betterment. And despite being behind bars, he found it through health education and fitness.

In prison, Kelly acquired the role of “gym orderly,” which allowed fitness to become an even bigger part of his rebuild. Health education, especially pertaining to diet, wasn’t something Kelly was proficient in during his MMA career before prison. Frequently struggling with weight cuts (to often nightmarish extents), Kelly made nutrition a key focus.

“I did my education while I was away,” Kelly said. “And you know what else I did do? This has been my main drive since I’ve come out. I spent a lot of time reading Mike Dolce’s book, and he’s a good friend of mine.”

Kelly recalled two hellacious weight cuts during his UFC tenure.

“I should have never went to lightweight,” Kelly said. “If you look at my record, my only losses – and this is no (expletive) whatsoever. When I fought Matt Veach, B.J. Penn came in to talk to me. I was close friends with B.J., and he came to talk to me. When he came in to talk to me, I was standing at the scales just about to make weight. He starts talking to me, ‘Hey, Paul.’ I said, ‘Aye, B.J.’ He said, ‘Are you OK, yeah?’ I literally could not see him because my eyes were blanked out. As he leaves the room, I said to my brother and Mark Scanlon at the time, I said, ‘Is he gone?’ As soon as he said yeah, my body dropped and hit the floor. I fainted. I woke up with them pulling my tongue out of my mouth. I won that fight. I was lucky.

“When I fought – what was that prick’s name who just laid on top of me for 15 minutes? Jacob Volkmann. When I fought Jacob Volkmann, my body dried up. I remember Renzo Gracie or someone scraping me with a card. I was completely dry in the sauna. I couldn’t get more weight off. I had to say, ‘Look, I’m sorry. I’ve never done this before, but I can’t make it. I’m a pound-and-a-half over.’ We’re in the back of the arena and talking to Mark Scanlon. He said, ‘Look, son. You’ve never not made weight in your life. Let’s get in the back. We’ve got an hour. Let’s get it done.’ I put the shower on and jumped in. I made the weight. Then after that, my body shut down. I couldn’t digest the sugars. While I was sitting there eating, I started vomiting.”

‘I wouldn’t change my journey’

Paul Kelly, left, and Darren Till. (Photo courtesy of Probellum MMA)

In 2017, Kelly was put on work release (“work placement”). Healthy eating became his calling, so much so he set up a healthy eating restaurant, Healthybox, upon his release.

“I studied loads of nutrition,” Kelly said. “When I came out, I owned a little restaurant. All we serve is clean, organically grown, low-glycemic foods – all real foods that taste good. This was always the thing. When Terry Etim or Paul Taylor were cutting, they’d make weight piss-easy. They’d be eating whatever they’d like. Meanwhile, I’d be cooking a few egg whites with a bit of spinach in. The only thing I could flavor with was chili and a few macadamia nuts. My diet was that on point. It was just the way the food affects my body, so I studied loads on it.”

Kelly completed his prison sentence in 2019. He was reunited with his children, got re-married, and has another baby on the way in a new relationship. Kelly said he’s grateful to have his freedom and all the simple things that come along with it – like the ability to stand.

“I wouldn’t change my journey,” Kelly said. “It wasn’t until I went to jail – until I sat. You’ve got nothing but time to think. I sat and analyzed life. Your path, if it finds you, it gives you options. I wouldn’t take that long valuable lesson back because I’ve done it. I’ve grown from it. It’s hardened me, and that’s a good thing for me.

He continued, “It’s good just be able to stand up out here. The only time I could see my family, I was sitting down because I was mainly in high security. To be able to stand up and take my kids to the park? I don’t take them for granted now. … It gives you that appreciation for your dignity and your freedom. … I feel in a good place, and I’m happy at home. I’m in a different relationship and just had a new baby. Everyone is happy for me.”

‘Time is not on my side … I’ll be all right’

Paul Kelly, right. (Photo courtesy of Probellum MMA)

For the first time since 2013, Kelly is expected to compete on an MMA card, March 7 at Probellum Liverpool 1. The response has been nothing short of amazing.

“I’ve been overwhelmed because I’m a humble guy,” Kelly said. “I’m a down-to-earth guy. That’s why I did end up in the situation I was in. I’ve always been a real person. I have been genuinely overwhelmed by how much a response it’s had. People genuinely want to see me back in and having a go. They don’t just want to see me. They want to see me win. They want to see me comeback and finish the story off.”

At 35 years old, Kelly isn’t sure how his story will end. He doesn’t know which promotions he’ll fight for or what belts he might obtain. To him, the challenge lies within the theme of the past seven years: self-improvement.

“I went to jail when I was 28,” Kelly said. “In my mind, since 29, I’ve been in a freezer for seven years. Reality is I’m 35. I think it answers a lot of questions for me personally. To hold a domestic title would be nice, but as it stands I’m taking it one fight at a time. Look at the way these tickets have sold. They went on sale and in three days they sold out.

“Everyone keeps saying, ‘I’d love you to fight him, and I’d love you to fight him.’ But as it stands now, I’ve got my own fight going on with myself. Let’s get through the first challenge and see where we are with that. Then, let’s push on. I’m not going to wait around obviously. Time isn’t on my side at 35, but I feel young, and I feel strong.”

The walk to the cage at Liverpool Olympia likely will be a raucous one. Deeply embedded in the English MMA community, Kelly’s domestic fanbase is still massive.

“I think it’s going to go off its nuts,” Kelly said. “I am who I am. I got nicked for drugs, but everyone in the (expletive) city sells drugs. That’s what it’s known for. They need to air it live in this prison system. They’ve got so many channels in jail. The prison system will go off its rockers.

“I’ve done all my time and all my rounds. No one can say anything bad about me. I’m a standup guy. I’ve got loads of power. That stadium is going to erupt. It does add pressure when you’ve been out for seven years, and your first fight back is an arena in your hometown. I’ve (expletive) got all eyes on me, but it is what it is. I’ll be all right.”