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MANILA, Philippines – Amir Khan is a totally different fighter than who he was when he first faced Eduard “Landslide” Folayang in 2018.
So when the two veteran fighters run it back two weeks from now, Khan believes the Filipino legend will up for a few surprises.
Khan targets a revenge win against the former two-time ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion when they meet in a lightweight MMA rematch at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham on September 30 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Primarily a heavy hitter when they first met, the Singaporean plans to give Folayang different looks in this match.
“I think I’ve developed a more well-rounded understanding of the game, and how to utilize my tools really well. I’ve always trained with the [Brazilian jiu-jitsu] black belts at Evolve, and I feel like I have a good grappling game, but I didn’t have the confidence to do it in the cage,” Khan told ONE Championship.
“[Using my striking] is always the first choice. But now I want to showcase my ground dominance and grappling control, being able to willingly control an opponent.”
Like Folayang, Khan is at a crossroads, having been knocked out by Keannu Subba in his last outing. But also like Folayang, Khan is hungrier than ever to prove that he still belongs in the ever-evolving lightweight division that he and the Filipino once dominated.
“At this point, I have to prove that I can get back to my finishing ways. I have to prove to myself that I belong at a really high level, and I want to show my dominance. That’s what’s important,” Khan said.
“I’ve been neither here nor there – win, lose, win, lose – not really being able to show to the fans, my family, and the people around me that I’m dominant in my expertise.”
That’s why Khan is confident that he won’t only get a win back from Folayang, but he’ll do so in dominant fashion.
“I feel I will get a finish by the second round. I feel he will slow down by then,” he said.
“It will either be on our feet or if it’s on the floor, it will be coming mostly from my elbows with the ground-and-pound.”
– Rappler.com
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