I was a manager at Aldi daydreaming of MMA stardom… now I’m on unbeaten streak and eyeing world title shot
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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.
![[Two men posing for a photo.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Screenshot-2025-01-21-at-09.20.18.png?strip=all&w=479)
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.
![[Nathan Kelly celebrates after a mixed martial arts victory.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/nathan-kelly-celebrates-defeating-zack-838522338.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
"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.'.
![[A mixed martial arts fighter raises his hand in victory after a match.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/FqZp3UmXoAIF4ME.jpeg?strip=all&w=960)
"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.". CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS. Kelly would often battle urges to pack up his MMA dreams - before convincing himself to fight on.
