By Dan Paulo Errazo

Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly headed into his bout with Christian “The Warrior” Lee at ONE: ETERNAL GLORY last 19 January looking to score the first win of the year for Team Lakay. But things didn’t go the way he expected, and he ended up losing via first-round technical knockout.

The first time the two met last September 2018 at ONE: BEYOND THE HORIZON, Lee was disqualified for the use of an illegal suplex, dropping Kelly on his head. The rematch was supposed to settle the score. Unfortunately for Kelly, he was unable to pacify his younger, stronger foe.

Kelly’s latest setback however, has since fueled his drive to improve and get his career back on track.

“Every fight is a learning experience, whether we win or lose. This fight is no different. I learned a lot about myself, and I plan to come back stronger. Hats off to Christian Lee, he’s an amazing kid and he has a bright future ahead of him. He was the better man that night,” Kelly said.

Knowing that “The Warrior” emerged the better man on the night, Kelly has vowed to improve himself as a martial artist, and continue his quest in ONE Championship’s deep featherweight division. As such, Kelly is well aware of exactly what he needs to work on in training in order to redeem himself.

“I have a lot to improve on, especially with my escapes and my defensive wrestling. That’s something that I need to work on in the gym, and I can’t wait to get right to it. This is a continuous learning journey for me as a martial artist. The next time fans see me in the cage, I’ll be a much more improved fighter,” Kelly admitted.

While he was nursing his wounds from the dugout, Kelly witnessed Team Lakay stablemate Joshua “The Passion” Pacio also falter in the main event, as the 23-year-old surrendered his ONE Strawweight World Title to Japan’s Yosuke “Tobizaru” Saruta by way of razor-thin split decision.

Kelly also gave his two cents on the epic main event matchup.

“Joshua had a rough night. It was a long and rough night for him. Yosuke Saruta is a very well-rounded fighter. We have to respect the judges’ decision. The important thing is that Joshua comes back from this stronger and better than ever. You can be sure we are back in the gym again tomorrow and we’re going to work until our weaknesses become our strengths. Me and Joshua will be back,” Kelly mentioned confidently.

At the end of it all, Kelly has chosen to take his recent experience as a learning one, and is back in training, rigorously working to upgrade his skills and prepare for his return to action sometime later this year.

“There is still a lot of action to go. It’s still very early in 2019. We can’t dwell too much on our losses. There are many opportunities to claim victory this year, we plan to make the most of it,” Kelly concluded.