PXC confirms interest in Eric Kelly

MANILA, Philippines – Amid the contract dispute between Eric Kelly and ONE Championship, Pacific Xtreme Combat (PXC) has expressed its interest in signing the Filipino fighter.

PXC chief EJ Calvo confirmed to Rappler that he had the chance to sit down and speak with Kelly, who is widely considered as one of the most successful products of Philippines mixed martial arts.

According to Calvo, he would be happy to extend a PXC offer to Kelly upon his release from the ONE contract.

“Eric is a good fighter. If available, we would be happy to set him up with a PXC contract,” he said.

However, he denied Kelly’s statement that PXC would like to buy him out of his ONE contract to pair him with the company’s featherweight champion Yusuke Yachi, who was supposed to defend his belt against Alex Volkanovski at PXC 49 on August 7 before his Australian foe pulled out of the title tilt due to a staph infection.

“No. We only sign fighters that are available. He needs to get out of his ONE FC contract first,” Calvo clarified.

Although Kelly publicly stated that his ONE contract had expired in February, he was surprised when the 33-year-old Baguio City native learned that Asia’s largest MMA promotion did not terminate the deal as he was not able to fulfill the terms and obligations stipulated in his agreement due to his inactivity.

“I really thought that my contract with them had expired and it’s done, but ONE FC told me that they froze my contract because of my inactivity. They told me to finish my contract. My manager and I are still looking at its validity,” Kelly told Rappler.

The contract also prohibited Kelly and his management to negotiate with other MMA leagues.

(READ: Eric Kelly wants smooth finish to ONE Championship contract)

Calvo stressed that Kelly will always be within PXC’s radar because the 5-foot-7 submission specialist is considered a hot property in MMA.

“Discussions will continue with him. It would be awesome to see him fight on a future PXC show against some of the best. He has been a top prospect from the Philippines [and] for the UFC for a while. But [Kelly is] not getting the best opportunities right now,” he stated,

The Guam-based organization has staged 14 of its last 25 PXC fight cards in Manila, and since its first Philippine venture in June 2011, it has been a staple of the local MMA scene, spawning talented Filipino contenders like Mark Striegl, Ale Cali, Crisanto Pitpitunge, Glen Ranillo and Rolando Gabriel Dy.

It also served as the footstool for MMA competitors such as Roldan Sangcha-an Jon Tuck, Hyun Gyu Lim, Dustin Kimura, Louis Smolka and Michinori Tanaka to be noticed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

– Rappler.com