ERIC Kelly, tipped to be the country’s brightest hope to bring home a major MMA title again, is ready to come out of retirement.
Kelly, the former ONE featherweight champion, yesterday said he has just relayed his intention to fight again in Asia’s biggest mixed martial arts organization, expressing hopes that he be given another chance to fight.
“I just told ONE officials the other day that I’m ready to fight again. I am now back in hard training to make myself fit to fight anytime,” the Benguet-native fighter told the The Standard.
Kelly’s last fight at ONE was in July last year, when he scored a come-from-behind submission win over tough Australian Rob Lisita in the ONE: War of Dragons in Taiwan.
Due to misunderstanding in the fight purse, he was not given a fight again despite his having three more fights in his contract with the organization.
Among Filipino fighters at ONE, Kelly has one of the best fight records with 11 wins against only a loss inflicted by fellow Filipino Honorio Banario in Kelly’s first defense of the crown two months after he won it from Australian Brad Terrey. That was his only loss in his six fifths at ONE.
In his long layoff from the cage, Kelly made himself busy tending to his personal business and his plan to put up his own MMA gym with some partners.
Kelly said said he values the opportunity given to him by ONE and he does not see himself opting out (of ONE) and fighting at lesser organizations.
“I’m not stepping backward. I’m already here at ONE, which is the best and biggest in Asia. I’m not getting any younger and If I am to fight the big fight, it’s only here at ONE,” he said.