Kelly gets another shot at ONE Championship

ERIC Kelly hopes to rekindle his slumping mixed martial arts career when he returns to the cage on June 15.

Kelly will try to carry the Philippine flag along with two more Filipino fighters in the undercard of ONE Championship’s “Legendary Quest” which takes place Saturday, June 15 at the Baoshan Arena in Shanghai, China top billed by reigning ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Stamp Fairtex of Thailand will defend her title against Alma Juniku of Australia.

Since scoring a unanimous decision win against Hiroshege Tanaka in October 2015, Kelly, brother of Team Lakay featherweight Edward, has lost six straight and hopes to get out of the slump.

But standing his way for that elusive victory is Kang Kang Niu of China who has four wins and one loss under his record and is coming of a three fight win streak.

Trestle Tan and Angelie Sabanal will also see action in the fight card as they take on Yoon Chang Min and Itsuki Hirata, respectively.

In the main event, Fairtex, a two-sport world champion Stamp will make her first world title defense against Alma Juniku in.

The 21-year-old Thai superstar may be more familiar to ONE fans and more experienced, but her 18-year-old rival is already a WBC and IPCC Muay Thai World Champion, and has the skills and tenacity to cause an upset.

Another bout expected to light fireworks is the match –up between Yoshihiro Akiyama and Agilan Thani.

The Japanese-Korean superstar will make his ONE debut, and fans around the world will look forward to him bringing his all-action style to his new organization, as he faces Agilan Thani, a young, hungry Malaysian hero who is reinvigorated, 20 years his junior, and dangerous enough to spoil the party with his ever-evolving arsenal of offense.

Some of China’s best fighter will compete at home at the Baoshan Arena and determined to prove that Chinese martial artists can be the best in the world.

Han Zi Hao and Zhang Chenglong are Top King Muay Thai World Champions, while Chen Lei, including Niu are once-beaten rising stars with serious stopping power.

All four have the potential to challenge for a world title in the ONE Super Series and mixed martial arts bantamweight divisions, and wins in their native land could go a long way to proving they deserve one.

Each of their match-ups come against dangerous opponents, but if they can get past them – and particularly if they can stop them – these national heroes will show they are worthy of consideration for a chance to compete for the gold in the future.