To say that former ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang is a determined man might be a terrible understatement.
Folayang remained defiant as he sounded off on the people who think his career is done just because he’s going through a tough stretch in his illustrious career.
He understands that it will be a lot harder to climb up the ONE lightweight ladder this time, but as long as his heart is in it, then he’ll still be competitive no matter what.
“I’m not done shooting for my goals. Other people may see it differently, but as for me it’s far from over,” Folayang said.
“I’m just taking everything into fuel and motivate me to have a better outing in my next performance. I just try to shut off everything. After all, no matter how good your performance is, people will have something to say.”
Folayang’s last outing left a lot to be desired after he lost to old rival Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki, getting submitted in the first round as the Japanese athlete wrapped up their rivalry in style with an armbar.
But for Folayang, it’s just another day at the office – it’s either he wins or he learns, and the day he stops improving will be the day he stops competing.
“In that match, we saw how confident my opponent was on the ground, and as for me, it will continue to motivate me to work in that area. [Submissions] have been an area that [Aoki] has been working on his whole life, and I continue to learn. I just have to keep on improving my ground game,” he said.
“Obviously, I want to keep on improving in the area where I’ve struggled in the past, like the ground game and the takedowns. If I can overcome it, I can show that I can keep on improving.”
Some fans may not understand that, and for Folayang that’s okay. As long as he continues to inspire others to shoot for their dreams – regardless of the situation – that’s what matters to him.
“I’m used to it, the criticisms and the like. The most important thing is to just always remember your goal,” Folayang said.
“This is what I love to do, and this is the area where I know even in the smallest way we can influence others to never stop dreaming and never stop chasing [those dreams].”
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