“Honestly, I could have gone and fought anywhere,” began Connelly, who enters Wednesday’s contest with a 14-8 record, looking for his third win in four appearances inside the Battlefield cage. “The reality is that I was getting offers — I’m a UFC vet; I was getting offers from everyone.
“The goal is that I want to fight, I want to be comfortable, and I want to learn, so why not fight at home while I can?”
While he’s obviously aware that his career as an active competitor can’t last forever, Connelly is genuinely fired up to be returning to action on Wednesday — not just because he’s getting to compete at home in front of family and friends, but because for the first time in a couple years, he’s healthy and making a relatively quick turnaround.
“I was hoping with the UFC that I could fight three, four, five times a year, jump on short-notice opportunities, but then the neck stuff happened, and it really threw a wrench in the mix,” he said. “It really came at the worst time.
“Such is life, you roll with the punches, so I’m excited to be in here twice in one year. It hasn’t been that long since I fought.”
View Connelly’s Athlete Profile
Many times, when a fighter gets released by the UFC or another major promotion, their sole focus becomes to return to that stage.
For Connelly, the fact that the UFC was never really on his radar makes this next chapter a little different and, for right now, he’s excited to just continue his martial arts journey by returning home and making the walk on Wednesday night at BFL 74.
“I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m willing to take it one fight at a time,” said the veteran. “I do know that I’m almost 37 years old, I feel great right now, feel like I’m improving, so why stop now?
“It was never about the UFC — it was I want to be the best fighter I can be, learn the most I can learn, and so let’s just keep taking fights one at a time, see what happens. I could retire at any moment, but I still feel like fighting.
“This is still what motivates me. I wake up in the morning, I’m excited to go train, and I’m training just a hard as I ever have. I’m still learning, I’m still improving, and that’s why I do this: it’s the journey, not the destination.”
