In the leu of his upcoming bout at UFC 269, Tony Kelley chose to stay grounded in his beliefs.
Kelley Didn’t Fly Because Of Mandatory Mask Policies
The UFC Bantamweight had the choice of flying to Las Vegas, Nevada for fight week. But, there was one problem for Kelley. He had to wear a mask if he wanted to board a plane, nevertheless enter an airport. This wouldn’t sit well with the Louisiana-native, who doesn’t believe people should be required to wear masks after the COVID-19 outbreak.
Kelley would end up making other plans.
Road Trip
Instead of being masked up on a 3 hour flight to Las Vegas, Kelley chose to drive over 1,400 miles to make it to his next fight against Randy Costa. The trip would take more than 21 hours for Kelley and his team.
They would eventually make it to the fight capital of the world, with Kelley having enough time to cut weight. The bantamweight would step on the scale at 136lbs on Friday morning to make things official against Costa.
Kelley Stands Up For What He Believes In
Kelley’s actions during fight week wouldn’t go unnoticed. As Kelley weighed in, the broadcasters on the UFC weigh-in show would point out the fighter’s long journey to get there and also spoke about his anti-mask sentiments. Kelley reposted the scene on his Instagram, along with a message.
“F*ck these masks. Louisiana in the building.” Kelley wrote.
“I’m just different than, all you [sheep] just conform and stay quiet. I stand up for what I believe in.” Kelley later stated in an Instagram story.”
The UFC fighter is fighting for what he believes in. He doesn’t believe in wearing masks, nor does he think they should be mandatory to board planes or enter airports.
Win or lose this weekend, Kelley will have to drive back down to his home in Shreveport, Louisiana.