By Jun Ray Navarres
Two time ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang returns to mixed martial arts action as he fights Antonio “The Spartan” Caruso in ONE:INSIDE THE MATRIX on October 30.
Folayang says he, along with his brothers at the famed Team Lakay in Baguio City, Philippines, have spent their time in lockdown due to Covid-19 wisely, continuing to hone their skills to stay ready for any opportunity to compete again.
“I’m so excited to be back in action again, especially since having to wait so long in lockdown. We’ve been eagerly anticipating when we will be able to return to competition, and I am glad that moment has finally arrived. We’re absolutely pumped and training very hard right now to put on a good show,” said Folayang.
“The past few months have been very difficult for all of us. Everyone in the world has been affected by Covid-19, especially here in the Philippines. It posed a few challenges for our training early on as we had to stay at home and practice social distancing. Even in isolation, the work never stopped and we used our time to sharpen our tools and skills.”
The 36-year old fighter struggled with his last fights, losing three out of four fights including the submission of his ONE Lightweight belt to Shinya Aoki.
Needless to say, Folayang believes his next performance is crucial to his career moving forward, and that he’s working on putting himself in the best position to win.
“I can say the results of these next few fights are very important to us, as we haven’t gotten the results we wanted recently. So now, we are really aiming for the best results possible,” said Folayang.
“Antonio Caruso is a strong fighter. I’ve seen his previous fights. I don’t think he’s a guy you can really take lightly. Of course, I am doing everything I can to prepare for his style. As usual, it’s going to be about dictating the pace and making him fight my fight. You can’t underestimate anyone in this game, so I’m not about to start with him,” said Folayang.
“I’ve been training for a very long time now, even if I didn’t know who my opponent was going to be. I just wanted to get myself ready physically, and I just feel so strong right now. Mentally, I’m focused, and getting right to where I need to be.”
Folayang promises fans the best version of himself when he steps back into the Circle.
“We’ve come up with a strong gameplan, I believe. And we have all the bases covered. Whether this fight is spent on the feet or ends up on the ground, I’ll be ready,” said Folayang.
“I’m going to show the world what a hundred percent of Eduard Folayang looks like. I’m excited to get back in the Circle and do what I do best,”
ONE:INSIDE THE MATRIX is a jam-packed event which will feature four World Title matches in one night, spearheaded by Aung La N Sang who will defend his ONE Middleweight belt against Reinier de Ridder.
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