Folayang wants ONE FC title fight vs Shinya Aoki in Manila

MANILA, Philippines – After his scintillating performance against lightweight contender Adrian Pang, Filipino fighter Eduard Folayang seeks to challenge Shinya Aoki for the ONE Championship lightweight title.

Folayang made his case for a lightweight title shot with resounding clarity as he defeated Pang via unanimous decision in the co-headliner of ONE Championship’s “Heroes of the World” event on Saturday, August 13.

Folayang’s preference would be to square off with the Japanese champion in the Philippines as the Singapore-based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization is set to make its ninth trip to the country on December 2 at the 20,000-seater SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. 

“Of course, I would like to fight for the title in front of my countrymen. But it’s really up to ONE Championship if they will grant me a title shot against Shinya Aoki,” he told Rappler.

Folayang has not tasted gold since July 2010 when he captured Martial Combat’s super-fight lightweight championship at the expense of Bao She Ri Gu Leng. 

Meanwhile, earning a world title opportunity in ONE Championship has been elusive to the 32-year-old Baguio City native as he had consistently fallen short in championship eliminators.

Following an impressive victory over Felipe Enomoto in August 2012, Folayang was one of the logical options to vie for the weight class’ top prize, but a string of losses pushed him back in the rankings. 

Folayang bowed down to Lowen Tynanes by way of first-round stoppage on Universal Reality Combat Championship’s tenth anniversary card in December 2012, while he was outwrestled by Iranian grappler Kamal Shalorus in May 2013. 

“Landslide” managed to redeem himself by compiling two consecutive wins, including a dominant win over 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 tussle. 

Despite the rollercoaster ride in his 9-year prizefighting career, there was no denying Folayang of a date with Aoki, outclassing Japanese veteran Tetsuya Yamada in 3 rounds this past January and then surviving a grueling encounter with Pang over the weekend.

“Improving and developing my skills as a fighter is still the most important aspect for me,” Folayang quipped.

Facing the giant in Aoki

Aoki has been widely regarded as the most dominant lightweight in Asia for the better part of a decade as he had 46 professional bouts and strutted his wares in various MMA promotions such as ONE Championship, DREAM, Bellator, Strikeforce and Shooto.

The 33-year-old Japanese fighter has a long list of accolades in both MMA and submission wrestling. 

Aoki, who infamously turned down an offer from the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2013, was last seen in action when he pulverized MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba under the Rizin Fighting Federation banner in December 2015. 

Aoki has not defended the ONE Championship lightweight belt since routing fellow Japanese combatant Koji Ando via unanimous decision in May 2015. 

Due to the absence of Aoki, ONE Championship’s lightweight division underwent a major shake-up as other stalwarts like Ariel Sexton and Tynanes moved up the ladder along with Folayang. 

If there remains any doubt of his contender status, Folayang stressed that he is willing to give it one more try to fully cement his position as next in line for Aoki’s lightweight title. 

“I really want the title shot, but there are others who claim that they deserve it. If there are other platforms or necessary ways to get a title shot, I’m good with it. As much as possible, I would like to be fair with every competitor in the division,” he said. 

When asked if he is ready to square off with an MMA giant like Aoki, who has been undefeated since October 2012 with a 9-fight winning streak, Folayang spiritedly replied, “Yes.” – Rappler.com