Team Lakay featherweight veteran Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly believes the long break from competition has allowed him much-needed rest, the kind that will see him return to peak form in 2021.
When COVID-19 hit the Philippines hard in early March, causing a tidal wave of travel and social gathering restrictions that forced people indoors and away from any social contact, Kelly, like many of his Team Lakay brothers, chose to heed the warnings and stay at home.
This, of course, has been a stark change of pace for “The Ferocious.” Mixed martial artists are accustomed to constant and daily training, spending hours of every day in the gym, working on their skills. However, being stuck indoors and at home has been a blessing for Kelly.
“Health is wealth, that’s what they always say, and it’s true. The time we spent dealing with this pandemic should have helped us all realize that. Personally, I’ve had a lot of spare time to focus and dedicate to better myself as a martial artist and as a person,” said Kelly.
“Honestly, I feel kind of refreshed and reenergized from the long break. I’m excited to fight again soon, because I’m confident it’s going to have a good outcome. I can’t wait to show fans what I’ve worked on all year, and put it together in my performances. I’m really looking forward to that.”
Once considered one of the best featherweight fighters in ONE Championship, Kelly hit a stumbling block in 2019, when he lost three of his four contests. Those experiences are well behind him now, and a re-energized Kelly can hardly contain his excitement as he looks forward to the next 12 months.
“The Ferocious” is open to fighting anyone in his division to prove his point, but specifically wants higher ranked opponents. The tougher, the better.
“I’m a fighter, and a real fighter is ready to show up to fight anyone. The featherweight division in ONE Championship is absolutely stacked. I want to fight anyone in the top five or top ten. That is my goal,” said Kelly.
“I just can’t describe in words how excited I am to get back in there and show the world what a refocused Edward Kelly looks like.”
After a string of tough setbacks in 2020, Kelly and the rest of Team Lakay vow to make a resurgence in 2021. Kelly has no doubt the Philippines’ most beloved martial arts team will be right on track by the time they step back inside the ONE Circle.
“Everyone has their own ups and downs, whether that’s caused by this pandemic or otherwise. But we always carry with us the lessons we learned, that is the most important thing,” said Kelly.
“Losing is always tough. No one likes to lose. But as our saying in Team Lakay goes, we either win or we learn. These losses have taught us a lot. It has humbly brought us back down to Earth, and empowered us to see our weaknesses and turn them into strengths. I have the utmost confidence we will bounce back with a bang.”
