Edward Kelly wins over Ahmed Faress of Egypt. ONE CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO
Edward Kelly entered Friday’s ONE Championship duel with Ahmed Faress considering retirement.
He emerged from the circle at the Singapore Indoor Stadium that night with a split decision victory on one hand, and the realization that he still had gas left in the tank on the other.
Kelly, now 37, held his own against a younger Egyptian opponent whose skills include top-notch striking and grappling to go with a 100 percent finishing rate.
“I knew in my mind that I [won the] the first and second rounds. I knew I had the edge,” the featherweight out of Benguet’s Team Lakay said. “I just wanted to maintain that edge.”
Kelly rebounded from a two-match slide, improving his pro record to 13-8 and dropping Ahmed to 16-4.
His wrestling and grappling were truly key in the contest, as it kept the Filipino afloat whenever his enemy brought the fight to the ground.
“I was feeling it,” Kelly said of his foe’s triangle choke in the second round. “I nearly tapped [out]. I was, say, 80 percent [close to tapping].”
“But mental toughness, brother,” he pointed out.