Eduard Folayang has voiced his unwavering confidence in the new breed of mixed martial artists set to propel Lions Nation MMA into a promising future.
This comes as the La Trinidad, Benguet-based stable gears up to formally introduce Aaron Posawen, Denver Songaben, and Jahn Serbo — collectively know as “Young Lions” — at Zeus Combat League’s debut event dubbed “Ground Zero” this Saturday, May 25.
The trio made a significant decision to join Lions Nation MMA when Folayang, alongside Kevin Belingon, Joshua Pacio, and Honorio Banario, established the team in 2023.
Posawen, Songaben, and Serbo are not newcomers to the sport. They have been honing their skills at the regional level since the late 2010s, patiently waiting for their opportunity to shine on a much bigger stage.
Folayang is particularly pleased that this moment has finally arrived.
“I’m very excited for them in this new promotion because I’ve been looking at how they (Zeus Combat League) take care of their athletes, and it’s been great,” he told Tiebreaker Times.
The former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion believes that the time is ripe for the “Young Lions” to step into this spotlight.
“I have big expectations for the ‘Young Lions’ that will compete on May 25 as part of Zeus Combat League. It’s been a little difficult, but I know they can overcome it,” he said.
“They’ve prepared themselves well for this event, that’s why I’m expecting them to give it their best.”
Posawen, Songaben, and Serbo won’t be handed any favors on the upstart promotion’s first-ever show slated to emanate live from the SM North Edsa Sky Dome in Quezon City this weekend.
Spearheading the campaign for Lions Nation MMA is Posawen, who headlines the card opposite Marwin Quirante in an intriguing flyweight bout.
Songaben tests his mettle against Jayson Miralpez in another flyweight clash, while Serbo squares off with Arsenio Balisacan in a 120-pound catchweight contest.
Despite the tough competition they will face, Folayang feels this is the right path for their careers if they wish to make it to prominent international organizations such as ONE Championship and the UFC.
“We want to build our fighters in a way that they’re not shortcutting the process. It’s not that we don’t have confidence in them, but as much as possible, we want them to really build that confidence as fighters before going to the big leagues,” he stated.
Seeing the hard work and sacrifices put forth by Posawen, Songaben, and Serbo in training, Folayang is optimistic about walking out of “Ground Zero” with a 3-0 sweep.
“It’s on the execution of the process. I hope that our athletes can execute their game plan well and perform well to the best of their abilities,” he mentioned.
“That’s the thing that will dictate my confidence in them. However, I have seen them prepare for it, so my confidence in them sweeping is there.”
