One of Ireland’s most charismatic fighters is set to get his chance on the sport’s biggest stage with the news that Kiefer Crosbie has signed with the UFC.
Crosbie, who fought six times under the Bellator banner, made his final appearance for the promotion in July 2021, and fought twice on the European scene, picking up back-to-back first-round finishes along the way, including a first-round TKO of former UFC veteran Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira.
“Big Daddy” then dipped his toe in the growing influencer boxing scene, and picked up a unanimous decision win in an entertaining bout with fellow former Bellator athlete Aaron Chalmers at the Kingpyn High Stakes event in July.
All the way through, Crosbie made clear his intention to sign for the UFC, and this week that became a reality when he put pen to paper on a multi-fight deal that will see him kick off his UFC career at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia on September 9.
Sharing the news on his Instagram page, Crosbie wrote, “I am unbelievably happy to announce I have signed a multi-fight deal with the number 1 combat sports organization in the world, the UFC.
“It took me a long time to get here and I earned it the hard way through nothing but hard work and self belief. Big thank you to Dana White, Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard for the opportunity and to my manager Audie Attar and the team at Paradigm Sports, working hard behind the scenes always. Also, a huge shout to all my coaches, teammates, friends and family who’ve always supported me and pushed me on this crazy journey.
“My debut is in 2 WEEKS in Sydney Australia (at) UFC 293. (I) can’t even put into words how I feel, but I tell you one thing, I will leave everything in that Octagon, every single time! It’s been a long time coming and it’s time to shine on the world stage! LETS GO!”
According to reports from MMA Junkie, Crosbie will take on fellow debutant Kevin Jousset in a 170-pound matchup. The Australia-based Frenchman is a two-division champion with Australian promotion Hex Fight Series, and heads into the bout riding a three-fight win streak.