FOLAYANG, AOKI RENEW RIVALRY

It’s going to be a war as former champion Eduard Folayang clashes with Shinya Aoki of Japan in the “ONE on TNT IV” event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore on 28 April.

Folayang and Aoki were supposed to meet separate foes, but a shake up in schedule had prompted them to lock horns for the third time in the fourth and final installment of this action-packed series.

I am not a pessimistic person. I’m a warrior. Naturally, I’m not expecting to lose, but to get the big victory this time.

The Filipino mixed martial arts (MMA) pioneer from Baguio City was supposed to meet Yoshihiro Akiyama in a lightweight bout while Aoki was scheduled to battle Sage Northcutt of the United States. But Akiyama begged off due to injury while Northcutt withdrew due to health and safety protocols of Covid-19, setting the stage for a blockbuster battle between Folayang and Aoki.

“This will be a monumental test for me. It’s a sudden change of our preparation, but I’m a professional athlete so I have to be prepared for anything at any given time. I have to be ready to calibrate for what will be served for that perfect aim,” Folayang said.

“I am not a pessimistic person. I’m a warrior. Naturally, I’m not expecting to lose, but to get the big victory this time.” Aoki, on the same note, is also read to rumble. “This is the last event of ‘ONE on TNT’ series so it’s meant to be and it’s going to be a great one for fans. A lot of people have been waiting for this trilogy with Folayang,” Aoki said. “Looking back at the past two fights against him, I am very motivated to perform well. This fight is a great one for ONE Championship. I think this fight has a lot of meaning. It’s fate that we meet again.”

The first time Folayang and Aoki met was five years ago with the Filipino warrior emerging victorious following a third-round technical knockout to win the ONE lightweight world title.

They collided anew in 2019, but the Japanese showed up prepared, choking the Filipino with an arm triangle to submission in reclaiming the belt.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF ONE EDUARD Folayang (right) vows to go all out when he faces Shinya Aoki of Japan in the ‘ONE on TNT IV’ event in the Singapore next month.