Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly will always stay true to himself, no matter the circumstances.
After dropping three of his last four inside the Circle, the 36-year-old from Baguio City, Philippines admits the thought of hanging up the gloves for good has crossed his mind.
“Yes, I’ve thought about walking away from it all, mostly due to my age. I’m not a young fighter anymore,” Kelly said.
“I know this is a young man’s game.”
“The Ferocious” locks horns with Egyptian powerhouse Ahmed “The Prince” Faress at ONE: Full Blast, a tape-delayed event from the Singapore Indoor Stadium which airs this Friday, May 28.
Kelly plans on using his next fight to discover within himself how much he has left in the tank.
“I want to prove to myself that I still have it — I know I still have two to three good fights in me. I want to show the world my fighting heart,” Kelly said. “But I know retirement is just around the corner, because of my age. My mind is willing but I want to test myself and my body.
“To be honest, I’ve gone back and forth with my coach and my team. They said I was too tense in my fights and that drained a lot of my stamina. We worked a lot on fixing that. It’s a big weakness, but I want to show that I’ve overcome that. I want to show the best Edward Kelly in the Circle.”
Against Faress, Kelly faces a Taekwondo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist from Cairo. He is also a ONE Warrior Series product making his main roster debut. Featuring a 16-3 professional record, Faress presents a legitimate threat to Kelly.
“He’s a well-rounded fighter, from what I’ve seen. He’s great on the ground, but I’m also willing to grapple with him all night. I am confident in my grappling skills,” Kelly said.
“I want to dominate this fight from start to finish. That’s my plan. So whatever area this fight goes to, I want to dominate him. I want to showcase my hard work.”
Kelly understands what’s at stake in this fight, with his career hanging in the balance. If he can defeat Faress, though, the show goes on and he lives to fight another day.
“Faress is a good opponent. I take nothing away from him. But I do question his fighting spirit. I think that’s where Team Lakay fighters have the advantage. We go out there and put it all on the line,” Kelly said.
“I want to show my true abilities as a fighter. I want people to see the real Edward Kelly, and I want to win.”
