Folayang decisions Korean; Kelly wins in OFC | Inquirer Sports

Folayang decisions Korean; Kelly wins in OFC

By: - Reporter / @jwpayoINQ
/ 09:43 PM September 04, 2011

SINGAPORE—Filipino fighter Eduard Folayang, bloodied and bruised, hammered out a unanimous decision win over South Korea’s A Sol Kwon in the main event of the One Fighting Championship Saturday night at the Singapore Indoor Stadium here.

The aggressive Folayang bucked a broken nose and a cut over his right eye to punish Kwon with punching combinations and inside leg kicks in the final two rounds to rule the lightweight bout in front of a sellout international crowd of 7,000.

“I needed to fight; even though I was hurt, I knew I could win every round,” Folayang, a national wushu team mainstay, said after improving his MMA fight record to 10-1.

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Eric Kelly, the only other Filipino fighter in the inaugural event featuring 20 mixed martial artists from 11 countries, also proved a sensation in his international debut as a featherweight.

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Kelly put away American Mitch Chilson by  submission at the 3:10 mark of the opening round.

A Baguio native just like Folayang, Kelly remained unbeaten in six fights while pinning on Chilson his first loss in three bouts.

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“I just focused on my opponent,” said Kelly, who took down the favored Chilson with a rear naked choke.

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“I never have a game plan going into a fight. I always just find a way to win when I am inside the cage, and fortunately, that is what happened tonight.”

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Folayang, who’s also the reigning welterweight champion in the Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC), pocketed a $5,000 bonus.

But the 26-year-old Folayang admitted that the prize came with a lot of pain.

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Blood streaked down Folayang’s face from an open wound over his right eye and a broken nose due to Kwon’s counter strikes in the opening round. He also suffered a cut at the back of his head aside from sustaining bruises on his face.

“I was blessed to win,” said Folayang, who snapped the six-fight win streak of Kwon (19-7), a Heat FC champion and one of Korea’s top fighters.

Kelly also earned a $5,000 bonus for his quick win.

Other results: Japan’s Yoshiyuki Yoshida defeated USA’s Phil Baroni (unanimous decision, welter); Brazil’s Gregor Gracie beat Korea’s Seak Mo Kim (unanimous decision, welter); Brazil’s Zorobabel Moreira prevailed over Taiwan’s Andy Wang (TKO R2, welter).

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In the undercard: Hong Kong’s Eddig Ng defeated China’s Yuan Chun Bo (KO R1, welter); Singapore’s Radeem Rahman beat India’s Susovan Ghosh  (TKO R1, bantam); South Africa’s Vuyisile Colossa humbled China’s Ma Xing Yu (KO R1, light); Thailand’s Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai prevailed over Daniel Mashamaite (TKO R2, bantam);  and Brazil’s Leandro Issa topped Korea’s So Chul Kim (unanimous decision, bantam).

TAGS: A Sol Kwon, Eduard Folayang, Eric Kelly, Mixed Martial Arts, MMA, OFC, One Fighting Championship, Philippines, Sports

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