Edward Kelly well prepared for Christian Lee's explosive ground game

Edward Kelly of Baguio City's Team Lakay is expecting a relentless Christian Lee when they stand across the ONE Championship cage in a much-awaited rematch.

The duo of highly explosive finishers are set to grace the undercard of ONE: Eternal Glory on January 19 at Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia.

They first met last September when Kelly salvaged a win by disqualification after Lee's suplex in the opening round was deemed illegal by the referee.

It was a bout that had fireworks spelled allover, yet it ended in a manner that both athletes never hoped for. They finally look to settle the score in Jakarta, and Kelly believes he's more ready than ever to face the young phenom from Singapore.

"In our first match-up, I learned that he’s overly aggressive, so that’s what I’m preparing for. He’s explosive, and he’s good on the ground – a submission artist," said Kelly.

"I’ll try my best not to get trapped in those submissions. I think his aggressiveness could also be his downfall. I added some additional skills and escapes. Let’s see how effective it will be in the match."

Kelly however concedes that there is an added pressure to perform following Team Lakay's historic run in 2018.

He will be the first athlete from the renowned stable to take the stage this year, making him more enthused to get the win and set the right precedence for the rest of the team.

"We know that Lee is aggressive and he likes to finish people, but against me, he won’t be able to get that easily. Of course, I’m going for the win as well. The pressure is on us, but we need to stay focused," he admitted.

"Even if we’re on the top right now, it won’t stay that way if it’s only on our minds. We need to give our all in every match, to show our true strength and how hard we trained."

The Benguet native is also hopeful that a win over Lee would inch him closer to the intricately-crafted ONE featherweight world title that is currently held by Martin Nguyen.

Now more than ever, Kelly hopes to have his hand raised on Saturday knowing that it would be the first step in realizing his dream to become a world champion.

"I think I need at least another win before I get that world title shot," he said. "However, if I would be blessed with a world title bout already, then I would be grateful." —LBG, GMA News