Fil-Am Eric Kelly shocks Lisita, earns One FC title shot

MANILA, Philippines -- Wounded and dominated, Eric Kelly sneaks in a submission hold at the 3:42 mark of  2nd round to seal his victory and title shot in the recently concluded ONE Fighting Championship: War of Dragons in Tawian.

On the let go, the more powerful fighter, Rob Lisita was able to have his way with Eric Kelly from his punches, kicks and takedowns.  Even with the clinch, Lisita was dominating and that left the Filipino fighter struggling to get the upper hand in the fight.

On what seems to be a broken nose, Eric Kelly was gushing out blood all over the mat and it is beginning to be one of the most bloodiest matches that the ONE FC have ever seen.  The referee, Yuji Shimada even called a time out for the doctors to check on Kelly’s nose.

When his chances to turnaround the match seemed dim, Kelly was able put in a rear naked-choke to shock Lisita and earn the victory.

The win did not just improve the Baguio native’s standing to 11-1 but Kelly was also rewarded a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE FC CEO, Victor Cui.

“Rob is a tough guy but I’m a fighter but I will try to do my best even though  I can’t punch and I can’t walk,” said Kelly during his post-fight interview.

Kelly was quickly sent off to the nearest Hospital and his featherweight title shot against Koji Oishi on August will have to depend on how fast he can recover from his injuries.

On the other side of the ring, Lisita would like to earn a rematch against Kelly the soonest and would do whatever it takes to make it happen.

“God didn’t think it was my time tonight, my pride is crushed. If Eric can still fight, I want a rematch. No excuses but his blood made him too slippery to keep hold of anything.

The only thing I’m happy about is that I can go home and be with my family while our 3rd daughter Rose is going to be born. I can’t end it like this. I need redemption. Please Matt Hume, I’ll fight anyone to get that rematch,” said Lisita via his facebook page.

About the Author : Ernest Hernandez is a regular contributor for NBA Philippines and Philstar.com. He also hosts a sports program named “Sports On-Air” that can be heard at DZEC 1062 khz every Sunday from 7-8pm. Follow him on Twitter @ernestleo