Edward Kelly (© ONE Championship)

Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly, 35, of the Philippines is highly motivated to face “The Stalker” Xie Bin, 21, of China on August 2, 2019 at “ONE: Dawn of Heroes” at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines. The Filipino contender is competing alongside his Team Lakay teammates Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, 35, Honorio Banario, Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio, 30, and Danny “The King” Kingad, 23.

Kelly has mixed emotions sharing the stage with four of his teammates. He said, “I feel a little pressure for me to do well in my next match.”

“When you are performing on the same night with Eduard, Honorio, Geje, and Danny, I feel the need to do well and win,” Kelly continued. “I also feel inspired because I know that I am not alone and no matter what happens, we will be there for each other.”

At “ONE: Dawn of Heroes,” Kelly and Xie will battle it out in the featherweight division. Along with Team Lakay, the Filipino contender has formulated a game plan for his upcoming bout.

While Kelly excels in striking, Xie is known for his grappling game. The latter is riding a six-bout win streak with four victories coming by way of submission.

“Xie Bin is really a great submission athlete,” Kelly said. “I know that I have more experience fighting professionally than him but I am not underestimating his skills in any way.”

“Making his opponents tap may be his strongest point,” Kelly said of Xie. “But I believe that his striking is his weakness and that is where I will take the match. I just need to time my strikes accurately and prepare to defend myself from his takedowns.”

Knowing that there are four other Team Lakay fighters on the card, Kelly feels confident to face Xie at “ONE: Dawn of Heroes.” The Filipino contender draws strength from knowing his entire team will be there in his corner, as usual.

“I’m really happy and excited to share the stage with my brothers,” Kelly concluded. “We have done a lot of things together for the longest time and to compete together in our country is just a huge boost to our morale.”

Meanwhile, here is a clip featuring Kelly and his Team Lakay brothers: