Shinya Aoki brushes off Folayang’s stand-up arsenal

MANILA, Philippines – With a highly-regarded striker like Eduard Folayang clearly having the advantage in the toe-to-toe trade, ONE Championship lightweight titleholder Shinya Aoki is not worried about dealing with the Filipino fighter’s bread and butter. 

Both men are scheduled to square off against each other in the main event of ONE Championship’s “Defending Honor” card, which takes place at the 12,000-capacity Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore on November 11.

The 33-year-old Japanese prodigy downplayed Folayang’s Wushu Sanshou pedigree, asserting he has a fair share of knowledge in terms of delivering blows from a standing position.

“I have been in the cage with many good fighters and train with world champions, both on the ground and standing up. So I feel comfortable with all aspects of MMA,” Aoki told Rappler. 

Known by his moniker “Tobikan Judan” or “The Grandmaster of Flying Submissions” due to his spectacular submission wins, Aoki has an unusual fighting style as he is heavily reliant on his specialization in the grappling department. 

Meanwhile, Aoki’s stand-up arsenal is entirely dedicated to taking his opponent to the ground, utilizing chain combinations of various Judo and wrestling techniques. 

Aoki admitted that he is fully aware of Folayang’s career resurgence inside the ONE Championship cage, outclassing Japanese veteran Tetsuya Yamada in 3 rounds in January and then surviving a grueling encounter with Australian stalwart Adrian Pang in August.

Folayang has reinvented himself by transitioning from a pure striker to an all-around mixed martial arts (MMA) competitor – evidenced in his last two professional outings where he displayed on-point sprawls and his ability to sinuously execute sweeps and guards as well as showcase sturdy top control. 

“Eduard is an experienced fighter who has been in ONE Championship since the beginning. He is a tough guy who has improved a lot over the last few years. I’m looking forward to meeting him in the cage,” Aoki said of Folayang.

(READ: How Eduard Folayang can beat ONE FC champ Shinya Aoki) 

Even though Folayang undoubtedly has the momentum entering the 5-round championship clash as he kept himself active throughout the year, Aoki brushed off the notion of ring rust.

Aoki has been out of action since December 2015 when he pulverized MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba under the Rizin Fighting Federation banner. 

“It feels great to be back in action. I am excited. I am doing my fight camp at Evolve MMA, training alongside all the world champions and my teammates in the Evolve Fight Team,” he stated. 

“Being able to learn from and go against all the world champions from all the different disciplines at Evolve everyday in practice makes sure I am as prepared as possible for any fight,” Aoki added.

Aoki expects that Folayang will dig deep to score the improbable upset victory over him, but the proud Japanese champion remains optimistic that he will walk out with the gold-plated strap around his waist. 

“Eduard is a good fighter, but I am confident in my abilities and see myself retaining my ONE Championship lightweight title,” he vowed. – Rappler.com