FILE – Eric Kelly during ONE: Roots of Honor. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—It was a forgettable campaign for Filipino fighters in ONE: Legendary Quest on Saturday in Shanghai, China.
Eric Kelly, Trestle Tan and Angelie Sabanal all fell short in their respective bouts as the Philippines went 0-3 in the card.
Kelly continued his downward spiral after bowing to hometown hero Niu Kang Kang by unanimous decision.
A determined Kelly, who came into the bout having lost six in a row, showed up but his aggressive start still wasn’t enough as Niu kept the Filipino warrior neutralized on the ground for the better part of their fight.
Tan, meanwhile, was overwhelmed by South Korea’s Yoon Chang Min, who improved to 2-0.
Yoon made quick work of Tan after coming away with a first-round TKO victory. Tan suffered his fourth straight setback.
Sabanal also failed to last more than one round against newcomer Itsuki Hirata of Japan.
Hirata went for the early takedown on Sabalan then, applied a tight Americana armlock to get the job done.
In the main event, two-sport World Champion Stamp Fairtex of Thailand overcame a game effort from challenger Alma Juniku of Australia to retain her ONE atomweight Muay Thai world title via unanimous decision.
In the co-main event, former ONE world title challenger Agilan Thani of Malaysia also picked up a unanimous decision victory, spoiling the ONE championship debut of Japanese legend Yoshihiro Akiyama.