Nathan Kelly isn’t a man who shies away from challenges, even if it means fighting through an injury. Kelly (6-2, 1-0 PFL) will step into the Professional Fighters League cage once more as he takes on Zachary Hicks in the upcoming Week 6 of the 2023 PFL Challenger Series. The 145-pound prospect already introduced himself to the PFL audience last August when he fought Ben Ellis. On that occasion, things took an ugly turn for Kelly, as he injured his thumb early in the fight. Stuck in a difficult situation, the Irishman dug deep and summoned the fortitude to drop his opponent before sinking in a rear-naked choke, and Ellis had no choice but to tap at the 2:45 mark of Round 1. Kelly is now expecting a similar performance in his next assignment—minus the injury. “I actually injured my thumb in the same round,” Kelly said. “I [threw] a punch, [it] bounced off the side of his head, and instantly I felt the pain. I just said, ‘There's no way I'm gonna be able to fight two more rounds with