Tetsuya Yamada Submits Eric Kelly In First Round

Tetsuya “MMA Fantasista” Yamada was determined to get back into the win column quickly.

After losing to Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev in March, the Japanese featherweight opted for a quick return to the ONE Championship cage this weekend, and was able to wash the taste of defeat out of his mouth.

On Saturday, May 12, Yamada needed just three minutes to make quick work of Eric “The Natural” Kelly. He submitted the former ONE Featherweight World Title challenger with a rear-naked choke to kick off the main card of ONE: GRIT & GLORY, which broadcast live from the Jakarta Convention Center in Indonesia. 

Both competitors traded kicks to start the match. But when “MMA Fantasista” charged forward, Kelly surprised him with an overhand right, which caused the Japanese warrior to slow.

“The Natural” tried to pressure Yamada with more strikes, but the Japanese athlete caught a low kick, put his adversary on the ground, and took his back. As Kelly scrambled to defend, Yamada rained down punches.

Despite his best efforts, the Filipino could not recover from the bad spot he was in, and was eventually trapped in a deep rear-naked choke. He was forced to tap out at 3:00 of the first round.

Yamada finds himself back in the win column, improves his record to 25-6-2, and is set to hunt for another big name in the featherweight division.