Eric Kelly: Ready for the big fight in KL

The sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) is starting to dominate the Asian scene and at the forefront of all the action are the Filipino fighters!

One Championship has changed the landscape of the fight game in the short span of time it has been in existence in the region, and it looks like it’s staying that way.

With numerous events scheduled in familiar territories like China, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Myanmar, Indonesia, and the Philippines, and breaking new ground in Thailand, Hong Kong, and Vietnam, fight fans will definitely get their fix.

And our local fighters are taking full advantage!

The last two events were headlined by Filipinos, with Kevin Belingon challenging bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandez of Brazil in Changsha, China and Eric Kelly battling local Malaysian EV Ting in the main event in Kuala Lumpur last weekend.
Kelly, who sports a record of 12 wins against only one loss, is one of the most exciting fighters on the One roster, proof of this was his being rewarded with the first and only $50,000 One Warrior Bonus to date, given to fighters who demonstrate an incredible warrior spirit, when he came back from the brink of defeat to emerge victorious over the “heavily favored” Australian Rob Lisita a few months back.
The pride of Baguio is a man of few words, who chooses to let his actions do the talking, but he did share a few moments with The Philippine STAR. Excerpts:

PHILIPPINE STAR: How do you feel as you approach the big day of fighting in the main event in KL?

ERIC KELLY: Training has gone well. I feel great. I’m ready. I feel strong and ready to bring honor to my country.

It seems like more and more fighters are joining MMA. Is that good for the sport?

There are a lot of good fighters in my division. But I like it that way. It’s more challenging for me. I love challenging myself and testing my abilities.

Is there extra motivation to defeat EV since he knocked out your brother Edward?

I have nothing personal against EV Ting. I trained hard and like my chances, so I am prepared to beat him. Even if he beat my brother, this isn’t about revenge. I would rather just do my best so that I can win and make my brother proud.

What is on the horizon for you?

I leave all the matchmaking to One. I will just continue to train, win, and hopefully they feel I deserve a shot. The featherweight champion is Marat Gafuroz, and so he is the target. I need to continue to impress so that I get that opportunity for the title.

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