A STEADY fixture in the featherweight class in ONE Championship, Filipino Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly is itching to get his title shot, which could come in the event he chalks up a victory in his upcoming fight with the promotion.
Set to take on former ONE world featherweight champion Narantungalag “Tungaa” Jadambaa of Mongolia in the under card for “ONE: Pinnacle of Power” on June 23 in Macau, China, Mr. Kelly, who joined ONE in 2013, said he is very excited and looking forward to the match to further prove how deserving he is of a title shot.
“I am at a great spot in my career, and I am extremely excited to be facing Jadambaa. I cannot wait to test my skills against a former world champion and a respected veteran in mixed martial arts,” Mr. Kelly, 34, of Team Lakay, said.
“Being that he is the former featherweight world champion, this bout is very significant. I know if I can beat Jadambaa, it will bring me one huge step closer to getting that title shot,” he added.
Mr. Kelly, younger brother of ONE fighter Eric, is coming off a sensational victory in his last fight which took place here in Manila in January this year, where he defeated Meas Meul of Cambodia in just 21 seconds of the opening round by way of kick and punches.
It was all quick and devastating for Mr. Kelly against Mr. Meul, engaging the latter at the center of the cage early then connecting on a quick three-punch combination before unleashing the final blow that sent the Cambodian face first into the canvas.
He is not promising to have the same kind of finish against Mr. Jadambaa but vowed to have the same ferocious mentality and take the fight to his opponent.
“I am a martial artist who always looks for the finish. As much as possible, I want to give the fans what they want. They came and bought a ticket for an action-packed bout with an amazing conclusion,” Mr. Kelly said.
“In my upcoming bout, my fans should expect that I will have the same mentality. I will look for that finish,” he added.
Mr. Kelly is currently sporting a 10-4 professional mixed martial arts record, 5-4 in ONE Championship.
His opponent, Mr. Jadambaa, has a 12-5 record and last fought in November 2016 where he lost his title to Russian Marat Gafurov.
ONE: Pinnacle of Power which is to held at the Studio City Event Center in Macau is to be headlined by the women’s strawweight title fight between reigning champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan of China and challenger Laura “La Gladiadora” Balin of Argentina, with the unification bout between ONE flyweight champion Adriano Moraes of Brazil and interim champion Geje Eustaquio of the Philippines as the co-headlining feature. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
