ONE FC: Pinoy fighter Folayang expects big reward if he beats Pang

MANILA, Philippines – As Eduard Folayang crosses paths with a high-caliber opponent like Adrian Pang, the renowned Filipino fighter sees a big reward if he plays his cards right. 

Folayang is set to square off against Pang on the undercard of ONE Championship’s “Heroes of the World” event, which takes place at The Venetian Macau’s 15,000-seater Cotai Arena on August 13.

With Pang being touted as next in line for Shinya Aoki’s ONE Championship lightweight title after picking up triumphs over notable names such as Vincent Latoel and Peter Davis, Folayang believes that he could earn a date with the Japanese champion if he scores a victory over the Australian stalwart.

“My initial goal is to continue winning until I get closer to the title and become a champion,” he told Rappler. 

Folayang, who is widely regarded as the face of Philippine mixed martial arts (MMA), has always been on the cusp of earning a world title shot since joining ONE Championship nearly 5 years ago. 

However, the 32-year-old Baguio City native has consistently fallen short whenever he was on the verge of securing an opportunity at the promotion’s lightweight championship.

Folayang instantly became a staple of the Singapore-based MMA organization when he made his promotional debut in September 2011, defeating A-Sol Kwon via unanimous decision.

After attaining an impressive victory over Felipe Enomoto in August 2012, Folayang was one of the logical options to receive a crack at ONE Championship’s gold-plated strap, but a string of losses pushed him back in the rankings. 

Folayang bowed down to Lowen Tynanes by way of first-round stoppage at Universal Reality Combat Championship’s tenth anniversary event in December 2012, while he was outwrestled by UFC and WEC veteran Kamal Shalorus in May 2013.

“Landslide” managed to redeem himself by compiling two-consecutive wins, including a dominant performance against former titleholder Kotetsu Boku in May 2014. 

While he was on a roll, another major setback hit Folayang as he was brutally knocked out by Russian prospect Timofey Nastyukhin in their December 2014 lightweight encounter.

Nastyukhin turned the lights off on Folayang with a flying knee and then nailed two soccer kicks on the ground to coerce referee Yuji Shimada to stop the action at 3:11 of the first round.

The knockout defeat completely derailed Folayang’s opportunity to challenge Aoki for the ONE Championship lightweight belt.

Despite the rollercoaster ride in his 20-fight professional career, Folayang stressed that vying for the company’s world lightweight title remains as his top priority.

“My dream of finally becoming a world champion is still there. It still lives in my heart. This fight against Adrian Pang is another journey to elevate my status as a contender for the ONE Championship lightweight title,” he said. 

In his last outing, Folayang returned to his fearsome form by outclassing Japanese journeyman Tetsuya Yamada to claim a unanimous decision victory this past January.

The 5-foot-9 Team Lakay representative turned back the clock against Yamada, pummeling his opponent with his deadly striking arsenal and efficiently utilizing his takedown defense.

In addition, Folayang was able to drop Yamada with a left hook in the first round and employed looping right hands, spinning back kicks and an effective sprawl that forced his Japanese counterpart to desperately shoot for takedowns in the latter part of the bout. 

Although a tough task is ahead of him, Folayang is confident that he will have his hand raised versus Pang inside the ONE Championship cage. 

“It’s just the beginning for me. As a fighter, I have to keep on learning and adapt to changes in this forever-evolving sport,” he shared. “Through the years, improvement has been the key to success. I am ready for Adrian Pang.” – Rappler.com