Team Lakay’s Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly needs to recapture his winning ways when he returns to the ONE Championship Circle against a tough debuting opponent.
The veteran power-puncher is set to take on Ahmed “The Prince” Faress in a featherweight clash this Friday, May 28, at ONE: FULL BLAST, a previously recorded event that takes the place of ONE: EMPOWER, which was originally scheduled for that date.
To protect the health and safety of its athletes and staff, ONE Championship had to postpone its historic all-women's event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the card being postponed, the much-awaited showdown between ONE atomweight top contender Denice “Lycan Queen” Zamboanga and Seo “Arale Chan” Hee Ham will have to wait, but the good thing for Filipino fans is that they will have Kelly to root for.
It hasn’t been a good stretch for "The Ferocious” over his previous two contests, but Kelly’s power gives him a shot against anyone in the division.
Kelly packs dynamite in his hands, earning six of his seven wins in ONE via knockout, which includes some of the baddest highlights in the organization – the most notable one being a 21-second highlight reel KO of Meas Maul.
He has to be extra careful when taking on someone like Faress, though.
Faress will come in with a 16-3 record, with all 16 wins coming via finishes. Kelly will have to work double-time on his ground game, particularly as Faress has 13 submission wins to his name.
A win here for the Team Lakay star would certainly put him back on an upward trajectory in the very competitive featherweight division.
In the main event, #1-ranked ONE Super Series Muay Thai bantamweight contender Saemapetch Fairtex takes on #3-ranked contender “Left Meteorite” Kulabdam Sor. Jor. Piek Uthai in a match between two solid heavy hitters.
Watch ONE: FULL BLAST on ONE Sports or ONE Sports+ at 8:30 p.m. Philippine Standard Time this Friday, May 28. It will also air simultaneously at the ONE Super App.
TV5 will have an encore presentation at 12 a.m. PHT on Sunday, May 30.