ONE: Folayang seeks to turn speed bump to success
FILIPINO mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Eduard “Landslide” Folayang had to make a quick pivot in his training when his original opponent for this week’s “ONE on TNT IV” event had to pull out because of injury.
But the Team Lakay stalwart is staying the course, seeking to turn the speed bump to success.
The former ONE Championship world lightweight champion Folayang will face familiar foe Shinya Aoki of Japan for the third time as part of the last installment of the “ONE on TNT” series on Thursday in Singapore.
Mr. Aoki is taking the place of compatriot Yoshihiro Akiyama, who was to battle Mr. Folayang in a three-round contest in the upcoming ONE Championship event which will be broadcast in the United States on prime time.
Incidentally, Mr. Aoki also saw his original opponent in the same event, American Sage Northcutt, pull out after contracting the coronavirus.
The unexpected turn of events led ONE to pit Messrs. Folayang and Aoki against one another anew in an instant trilogy.
Mr. Folayang (22-10) took the first fight back in 2016, knocking out then ONE lightweight champ Aoki in the third round to become the new champion.
The Japanese then exacted payback in 2019 when he submitted the Filipino by way of arm triangle choke in the opening round to reclaim the lightweight belt.
While he is facing Mr. Aoki (46-9) for the third time, Mr. Folayang admitted that the pivot they had to make in training was not easy and that they had to work doubly hard to make all the necessary adjustments.
“It was not easy because we were expecting to fight Akiyama, then he had to pull out just weeks away from the event. There were a lot of adjustments that had to be made,” said Mr. Folayang during the online media day for “ONE on TNT IV” on Tuesday.
“While I am facing Shinya for the third time, there was a lot of studying to be made because every fight is different and you have to be really prepared for everything,” he added.
Despite the short turnaround, Baguio-based Folayang is confident that they are coming in with a solid game plan and determined to come out the victor in what he considers as one of the most important fights in his illustrious MMA career.
“This is a very important battle for me. If I can beat him here, it will catapult me up the rankings. He’s number four in the top five, and I’m looking to take his spot. This is not an easy fight, but a victory will bring me a step closer to the belt,” he said.
Headlining “ONE on TNT IV” is the ONE Light Heavyweight World Championship clash between reigning champion “The Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang and replacement opponent and middleweight champ Reinier De Ridder of the Netherlands.
The event will be broadcast live here over One Sports on April 29 at 8:30 a.m. with an encore telecast on the same channel on April 30 at 8:30 p.m., and on May 2 at 12 a.m. on TV5. —