Brian Kelleher (photo via UFC)

By FCF Staff

Brian Kelleher has one fight left on his current UFC deal, and the noted finisher is thinking about testing free agency, rather than signing an extension.

The 34-year-old Kelleher is coming off a quick, submission win over Ray Rodriguez last weekend, which moved his 2020 record to 3-1.

The veteran fighter has one fight left on his current UFC contract, and while discussing his options recently with MMA Fighting, Kelleher said this.

“At this point, I think I’m becoming a fan favorite and a veteran and a mainstay, but I’m always tempted to fight out my contract just to really see where my worth is and become a free agent like I know Eddie Alvarez always talks about,” Kelleher said. “It seems like management never wants to do that – they’re never on that page. They’re like, ‘No, no, no, trust me, let’s re-sign. Let’s get locked in, and it’s the safest bet.’ I’m like, alright, I don’t know.”

“Most of the time I feel like guys just re-sign because of that fear of putting yourself in a position of maybe losing that last fight,” Kelleher said. “Then you’re like, well, what do I do now, because now they can cut me and I’m probably not gonna get offered a big payday outside the company, because you’ve got to be on a hot streak and then maybe Bellator will come in and offer a big payday. Then the UFC can match it, and you find out your real worth.”

Kelleher currently carries a record of 22-11 and bantamweight/featherweight has gone 6-4 in his last 10 fights. 5 of his 6 wins during that time came via a finish.