Team Lakay’s Eduard “The Landslide” Folayang caps his spectacular 2016 campaign with another shot at glory.
Folayang, 31, is set to defend the honor of the country as he challenges ONE Lightweight kingpin Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki on Friday, November 11, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore.
“Filipino fight fans have been waiting a long time for this one. Eduard Folayang has been with ONE Championship since the beginning and has performed at an extremely high level in his last couple of bouts,” said ONE Championship CEO Victor Cui about Folayang. “He is deserving of a title shot which he earned with victories over Tetsuya Yamada and Adrian Pang.”
“The Singapore Indoor Stadium is going to erupt when fans finally get to see Folayang stand opposite Shinya Aoki inside the ONE Championship cage.”
After leaving the sport in 2015, a rejuvenated Folayang (16-5) entered 2016 with high hopes.
The Baguio native opened the year with a sensational unanimous decision win over Tetsuya Yamada in the co-main event of ONE Championship: Clash of Heroes in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq7paffrP20
Then just 17 days ago, Folayang thrilled the Macau crowd, taking home a unanimous decision win over Australian Adrian Pang. The win, and a 2-0 slate in 2016, elevated the local MMA legend to a crack at Shinya Aoki.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZqXvj2eMB0
And it is Aoki who stands between Folayang and glory.
Aoki (39-6) of Shizuoka, Japan is one of the world’s most decorated mixed martial artists. He is the last DREAM Lightweight Champion, former Shooto Welterweight Champion, and the reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion.
The 33-year-old Aoki is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Yuki Nakai and has won multiple grappling tournaments across the globe. He also holds a black belt in judo.
A veteran of over 40 professional bouts which includes an impressive 25 victories by submission, Aoki’s reputation as a grappling specialist is unrivalled. Aoki is currently riding a nine-fight win streak, and is set to step back inside the ONE Championship cage to defend his lightweight title against Eduard Folayang.
“I have been in the sport for many years and have fought the toughest challengers across the world, but this is the first time I will be fighting a strong Filipino warrior.
“I am excited to test my skills against a fighter representing the Philippines. Eduard Folayang is a great competitor with solid all-around skills. It should be an exciting match-up,” Aoki said about his third title defense.
On the other hand, Folayang is just relieved that the fruits of his labor are now paying off.
“All the hard work I have put into training has finally started to pay off and I am challenging the great champion Aoki. It will be an honor to share the cage with him, but I feel I have the skills to pull off an upset,” the Team Lakay fighter said.
“I will fight for the honor of my country and the people of the Philippines who will be in my corner on fight night.”
