Folayang, Eustaquio may compete on ONE FC’s April card in PH

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – After their emphatic wins at ONE Championship’s “Clash of Heroes” event on Friday, January 29, Filipino fighters Eduard Folayang and Geje Eustaquio might land a spot in the organization’s next venture in the Philippines. 

Asia’s largest mixed martial arts promotion is set to stage its eighth event in the Philippines on April 15 at the 20,000-capacity SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, but the event name and bouts have yet to be announced.

ONE chief executive officer Victor Cui revealed that he and matchmaker Matt Hume are considering booking Folayang and Eustaquio for the company’s next fight card in the Philippines. 

“Honestly, Eduard Folayang and Geje Eustaquio are two fighters that Matt and I are looking at right now. After their impressive wins, the Filipino fight fans will definitely want to see them compete in front of them. Both are the two best options,” he told Rappler. 

Folayang turned back the clock in his 3-round lightweight bout against Japan’s Tetsuya Yamada, pummeling his opponent with his deadly striking arsenal and efficiently utilizing his takedown defense to claim a unanimous decision and his first win since being knocked out by Timofey Nastyukhin in December 2014.

The 32-year-old native of Baguio City, Benguet 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. 

“It’s great to see Eduard back on the winning trail. It only proves that determination is the key to everything. When you’re down, you should stand up, endure and fight back. Eduard Folayang showed that trait against Yamada,” Cui stated. 

On the other hand, Eustaquio scored an emphatic knockout against Malaysian combatant Saiful Merican by delivering a left hook to the temple before clobbering a brutal follow-up soccer kick to force referee Joey Lepiten to halt the contest at the 1:21 mark of the first round.

“Geje sent the message that he is back loud and clear. It was a highlight-reel knockout,” Cui said of Eustaquio. 

ONE has already held 7 affairs in the country since its first venture on Philippine shores in August 2012. 

Although the organization plans to further extend its reach across Asia, Cui admitted that the Philippines remains ONE’s biggest market in the region. 

“I am always excited to be in Manila, Philippines. The MMA followers in the Philippines have high standards, and it’s hard to top it every single time. We are looking forward to our next event in Manila,” he ended. – Rappler.com