Team Lakay’s Belingon, Kelly eye Malaysia win
ON the ascent of late, Filipino mixed martial arts fighters Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon and Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly are looking to sustain their solid form when they descend on Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, later this week for ONE Championship’s “Quest for Greatness” live event.
Happening at the Stadium Negara on Aug. 18, Friday, Messrs. Belingon and Kelly, both fighting out of Team Lakay in Benguet, try to extend their respective win streaks in ONE, Asia’s largest sports media property.
Bantamweight Belingon (15-5), winner of his last two fights, will face Australian Reece “Lightning” McLaren in a virtual eliminator for another shot at the division’s title currently held by Brazilian Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes while featherweight Kelly (9-3) aims to make it four wins in a row when he takes on American Emilio “The Honey Badger” Urrutia.
“My initial goal is to continue winning until I get closer to the title and become a champion,” said Mr. Belingon, who is coming off an impressive first-round technical knockout win over Toni Tauru last April, of his upcoming fight.
“I believe I will face Bibiano Fernandes if I can defeat Reece McLaren impressively. My dream of finally becoming a world champion is still there. It still lives in my heart. My upcoming bout is another journey to elevate my status as a contender for the title,” added the 29-year-old fighter, who fell in his first shot at the title against Mr. Fernandes in the first round via submission in January last year.
Going up against Mr. McLaren (9-4), who made a good account of himself last time around when he stretched Mr. Fernandes to full five rounds and nearly took the title by losing on a split decision in his own title shot, Mr. Belingon said he is training hard along with his team.
“I’m deep in training with my Lakay brothers and I’m in the best shape of my life for this bout. There will be no excuses on the day of the match. By the bout’s end, my hand will be raised,” said Mr. Belingon.
“We spent a lot of time in training camp. I am always prepared in all of my bouts, but in this matchup against a talented martial artist like Reece McLaren, we have to exert more work and effort,” he added.
For Mr. Kelly, it is all about maintaining his turnaround with ONE Championship after starting his career with the promotion losing three of his first four fights.
His recent victories all came last year, the last one coming at the expense of Indonesian Sunoto Peringkat last December by way of TKO in the third round.
He credits his steady form of late to the “dedication he is putting in training and just continuing to believe in his abilities.”
In Mr. Urrutia (9-4), Mr. Kelly will face a fighter who is making his ONE debut but has won his last two fights.
Apart from Team Lakay’s Belingon and Kelly, Filipinos seeing action in ONE’s Malaysia event are strawweights Robin and Rene Catalan against separate opponents.
ONE: Quest for Greatness is headlined by the title fight between featherweight world champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov of Russia against Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen of Australia. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
