MANILA, Philippines -- After more than a year, Eric Kelly would once again see action in the ONE Fighting Championship cage. This time, stakes are higher than ever as he is set to fight Ruthless Rob Lisita in the main event of the ONE FC : War of Dragon in Taiwan on Friday.
Kelly will not have it easy as Filipino MMA fans will remember his opponent as one of the most exciting fighters who made a thunderous debut in the ONE FC : Rise of Heroes that stopped Yusuke Kawanago in 28 seconds by using punches inspired by Manny Pacquiao.
Lisita, who just won seven of his last eight bouts, two of which are against Kawanago that he took revenge with, has grown to be a Filipino fan favourite with his pleasing personality and praises to God during his trip in Manila.
Filipino MMA fight fans will now have to see their adopted son go up against their homegrown hero in Eric Kelly.
Since last competing in the ONE FC cage in Feb 2, 2013 after facing his first defeat in his 11-match career against Honorio Banario, Kelly has seen action under the URCC fight card and submitted Jianbo Lu in the first round last November 30, 2013. Since then, fans have been craving to see the Filipino top featherweight to see action once again in the international scene.
A victory against Lisita could propel Kelly to a title opportunity and the chance to become the country’s next great MMA superstar. Even with an impressive record, Kelly faces a fighter that has only heard the final bell 3 times in his last 14 matches.
CEO of ONE Fighting Championship Victor Cui stated, “ONE FC is bringing world-class mixed martial arts action to Taiwan for the first time on 11 July. Fans in Taipei will now get the opportunity to experience a night of adrenaline-pumping mixed martial arts action live! Rob Lisita and Eric Kelly are two of the best featherweights in the world and both of them consistently deliver crowd-pleasing bouts. The winner of this bout will set himself up to challenge Koji Oishi, the reigning ONE FC Featherweight World Champion, for the title in the near future. This is one of the most anticipated sporting events in Taiwan in recent years and fans in Taiwan will finally get to enjoy explosive MMA action!”