UFC vet pleads with the organization to "keep the door open" for him as uncertain future looms

A veteran UFC fighter has put forth a string of messages directed towards the organization. The 36-year-old has been dealing with severe injury issues as of late and recently hinted that he might have to retire from professional MMA competition and leave the UFC.

The American athlete made his MMA debut back in March 2011. He has been competing in the UFC since June 2017. The fighter in question is Brian Kelleher, who's also known by the moniker 'Boom.'

Brian Kelleher was scheduled to face Journey Newson at UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Simon on April 29th, 2023, but withdrew during fight week due to injury issues. It was subsequently confirmed that the injury issues were possibly career-ending.

Regardless, Kelleher has now posted a series of tweets, suggesting that he isn't done with his MMA career. 'Boom' tweeted that he aims to get fixed up and cleared to compete within three-to-four months.

He asserted that he's consulted a surgeon who's helped other fighters recover from similar injuries, return, and win fights. 'Boom' highlighted that he has about three more years of MMA competition left in him. Kelleher added:

"[I have stepped up many] times and will always be that guy for the company that I love. I ask please that you keep the door open for me to come back once I’m medically cleared. I will be even better when I’m all fixed up. I’m only going under the knife to continue my fighting career and I’ll be ready..."

Moreover, he'd seemingly like to fight at least one more time, ideally in his native New York in November. Continuing his statement from the previous tweet, Kelleher wrote:

"...In November for msg in new York fully healthy in my home state ! This is all I know. All I ask is atleast [sic] one last farewell fight @danawhite @seanshelby"

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Veteran UFC fighter Brian Kelleher on the injury that has stalled his MMA career

Brian Kelleher (24-14 MMA, 8-7 UFC) has competed in both the featherweight and bantamweight divisions. As reported by MMA Fighting, Kelleher appeared on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani and revealed that he's been facing serious neck-related injury issues.

Earlier this year, Kelleher sought help from the UFC organization to get himself treated by the best doctors. Apparently, his diagnosis revealed that he's dealing with a serious neck injury, which is why the organization can't allow him to compete.

That said, Brian Kelleher indicated that once he undergoes surgery to repair his neck and goes through a rehabilitation process, he could return to the octagon. Recalling how everything unraveled just weeks before his recently-canceled fight, Kelleher stated:

“I’ve been having neck issues for quite some time. It would come and go, and I just chalked it up to, that’s the fight game. I would get stingers here and there in training, and it wasn’t until three weeks before my fight, I had a really stiff neck, and I decided to get an MRI."