Asian Fighter Watch #1: Eric ‘The Natural’ Kelly

When 30-year-old Eric Kelly first burst onto the MMA scene at URCC 14: Aggression, few would have predicted the prospect of a young Filipino fighter.

Kelly may not have earned enough recognition during his tenure with the URCC, but he was certainly dragged into the limelight following a 3-0 stint with the Singapore-based ONE Fighting Championship. With an unscathed MMA record of 8-0, Kelly has already established himself as one of Asia’s premier Mixed Martial Artists.

Known for his superb conditioning and substantial Wushu background, ‘The Natural’ trains in Malaysia with Team Muayfit, alongside the likes of Arnaud Lepont, Peter Davis and Allamurad Karayev.

Kelly is always determined to get the finish in his fights too. An 87.5% finishing rate bears testament to the Filipino’s skill and quality. Kelly is also the reigning URCC Featherweight champion, a championship strap that he garnered at URCC 18: Relentless, when he submitted Nate Flores via Rear-Naked Choke in the 1^st stanza.

In ONE Fighting Championship, Kelly’s style of fighting and attacking prowess made him an instant fan favourite. Following a submission win over Muay Thai stand-out Mitch Chilson, the 30-year-old locked horns and decisioned Bae Young Kwon – one of South Korea’s elite Featherweight fighters.

‘The Natural’ was then tasked to fight former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver, at ONE FC 5: Pride of Nation. Pulver, of course, needed no introductions to the MMA scene having fought over 40 times in his professional career. With an incredible amount of experience, Kelly looked to be the underdog heading into Manilla. However, the Filipino stood toe-to-toe with Pulver and ended the fight via TKO in the 2^nd round, silencing all critics and establishing himself a fighter to be on the look-out for.

Kelly will next defend his URCC Featherweight strap next against Brad Terrey at URCC 22: Dekada, that’s slated for December 1^st.

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