Eduard Folayang to defend ONE title vs featherweight champ Martin Nguyen

MANILA, Philippines – ONE Championship lightweight champ Eduard Folayang will face a fellow champion when he defends his title against featherweight titleholder Martin Nguyen on November 10 at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Philippines, ONE announced.

Folayang (18-5, 6 KOs, 2 submissions) won the title in November 2016 with a stoppage of Shinya Aoki and defended it in April when he defeated Ev Ting by decision. Now the 33-year-old from Baguio City will meet the 28-year-old Nguyen (9-1, 6 KOs, 3 submissions), a Sydney, Australia-based fighter who is coming off a second-round knockout of Marat Gafurov to win the 145-pound title in August.

The bout will be the first time two reigning champions will face in ONE Championship history, a company press release says.

“Martin [Nguyen] is one of the best in the world and it is an honor to share the ONE Championship cage with him. This is a bout for the fans, and I can’t wait to perform in front of my hometown crowd in Manila once again,” Folayang is quoted.

“I have the utmost respect for the lightweight champion, and will definitely not take his skills for granted,” said Nguyen, who is known as “The Situ-Asian”. “But this is going to be a dog fight. It’s the first time two champions in different divisions go head-to-head in ONE, and I am excited to give the performance of a lifetime.” – Rappler.com