Kelly, Banario clash for crown in ONE FC

MANILA, Philippines - A first Filipino champion will emerge in the ONE Fighting Championship as Eric Kelly and Honorio Banario slug it out for the featherweight crown in the ONE FC: Return of the Warriors set Feb. 2 at the Stadium Putra in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Kelly, nicknamed “The Natural” in the most popular mixed martial arts outfit in Asia, boasts of a nine-win run, including victories over Mitch Chilson, Bae Young Kwon and former Ultimate Fighting Championship title-holder Jens Pulver on the ONE FC stage.

Kelly’s last fight came outside the ONE FC against Phuket’s Top Team Brad Terrey in URCC 22: Dekada late last year at the MOA Arena which toughened him up against a striker in Banario.

Against Banario, Kelly will face a fighter coming off a technical knockout of another Filipino Andrew Benibe in ONE FC: Pride of a Nation in August last year.

Regardless of the result, however, the Phl will be assured of its first champion in ONE FC.

Kelly said he’s all primed-up to clinch the honors.

“I’m working and training hard to be champion and it will be a dream come true for me if I win my next match,” said Kelly, currently training for a Malaysian-based MMA outfit.

The Kelly-Banario fight has generated interest from the ONE FC fans, including ONE FC chief executive officer Victor Cui.

“I’m beyond excited to kick off a packed out schedule of events in 2013 at the state-of-the-art Stadium in Malaysia,” said Cui in a recent statement. “Eric Kelly vs Honorio Banario for the ONE FC featherweight world title could possibly be the most demanded fight in Asian MMA history.

“And I know the fans cannot wait to watch these two champions clash inside the ONE FC cage,” he added.

To spice up the event, the first two bouts will pit Malaysian national silat champion AJ Lias Mansor against muay thai titlist Jian Kai Chee and Johor-based slugger Melvin Yeoh versus a debuting Raymond Tiew.

Two more interesting bouts pit UK CFC champion Peter Davis against Indonesia’s Leo Krishna and the young but talented Gianni Subba versus another muay thai expert in Saiful Merican.

Tickets are on sale now at www.AirAsiaRedTix.com. Tickets are priced at RM345 for the complete VIP experience that includes exclusive red carpet entrance, access to the VIP lounge and premium cage-side seating. The categories that follow are priced at RM145, RM95 and RM45, respectively. Booking fees and service charges apply.