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Kelly Brothers, Gonzales added to One: Roots of Honor

Eric Kelly will return to the MOA Arena to take on China's Tang Kai. Dennis Acosta (file photo)
By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—Three Filipino fighters will join Joshua Pacio in defending their home at One: Roots of Honor on April 12 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

Edward Kelly, Pacio's teammate at Team Lakay, will take on South Korean opponent Lee Sung-Jong.

It's gonna be another case of "contrapelo" as Kelly, known for his 21-second knockout of Meas Meul last year, battles Lee, a former grappling champ.

Meanwhile, Edward's brother Eric returns to action as he takes on Tang Kai of China.

The showdown between Eric Kelly and Tang is expected to be a slam-bang affair considering their striking prowess.

Kelly once fought Narantungalag Jadambaa, which will face Martin Nguyen in the main event for the One featherweight title, in 2016 but lost.


The other Filipino in the card is Ramon Gonzales as he locks horns with Japan's Akihiro Fujisawa.

Other notable additions to One: Roots of Honor are the Luis Santos-James Nakashima and the Bi Nguyen-Dwi Ani Retno Wulan matches.

Santos once challenged for the One welterweight title on April 24, 2015 against current then champion Ben Askren.

However, Askren accidentally poked Santos' eye, making him unavailable to continue, and the match was declared a no-contest.


On the other hand, Nguyen, who became well-known for her stint in Survivor: David vs. Goliath last year, will make her debut at One in the Philippines, which has numerous fans of the said reality show.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno