By Jun Ray Navarres
Team Lakay veteran Edward Kelly returns to ONE Circle after resting for almost two years looking to end the setback of 2019.
The Baguio-based stable’s featherweight sensation will lock horns with Ahmed “The Prince” Faress in ONE: FULL BLAST, a tape-delayed event from the Singapore Indoor Stadium which airs this Friday, 28 May.
During his competition break, Kelly was able to spend time and focus on becoming a better fighter.
“The time off I’ve had was great in the sense that I was able to do a lot of self-reflection. I really came to terms with where my career is at, and mentally I feel stronger than ever. I’m more motivated now to continue with my career. I want to redeem myself,” said Kelly.
“The Ferocious” was last seen inside the circle in 2019 where he fought four matches in a single year.
Kelly started that year with a loss to current ONE Lightweight World Champion Christian Lee but managed to recover with a technical knockout win over Korean Sung Jong Lee. However, plagued followed as Kelly dropped his next fights against Xie Bin, and Tang Kai.
“After that last loss, I sat down with the team and we really went through everything. We dissected every aspect of my game, and we were able to discover a few things I needed to work on. Everyone from Coach Mark [Sangiao] to all my teammates, we discussed how to move forward. Like we always say, we either win or we learn, and this was a learning experience,” said the 36-years old Filipino fighter.
“I just feel like I lacked mental preparation for my recent bouts. The physical training has always been good and I’m always in the best shape possible, but my mind wasn’t in the right place and I just couldn’t execute. Now that we’ve taken the steps to fix that, I feel so much better. I feel like a new fighter.”
Kelly is now looking to redeem himself once again in the most dangerous opponent in Faress.
“I was much too tense in my previous fights. I need to let loose and unleash the ferociousness inside of me. I think I’m in a good place right now, physically and mentally,” Kelly said.
“I miss the thrill of competition and I’m super excited right now to step back into the Circle and give it my all.”
Follow the writer on Twitter: @burnsports
