By Jun Ray Navarres
Filipino mixed martial arts (MMA) icon Eduard Folayang will attempt to break out of his three-fight slump when he meets Chinese Zhang Lipeng in the main event of ONE: BATTLEGROUND II on August 13.
Folayang has been bombarded by criticisms on whether the 36-year-old should just hang his gloves for good but the Team Lakay veteran believes otherwise. Despite losing his previous matches, he remains on top of his game and can still hang with the best the lightweight division has to offer.
“I agree and I see it as a make-or-break, meaning break in a literal way that it will be the fight that will break my skid of losses,” Folayang said, with his past slide dropping his record to 22-11.
“Every fight is important to me so, yes, I need to be so focused to make it this time. This fight against Zhang means a lot because it will give me the opportunity to step forward again, one step closer to my goal of becoming a champion once more.”
Folayang has already seen the peak of his fighting career, being a two-time ONE Lightweight World Champion.
Being the face of Philippine mix martial arts for almost half a decade, he also led the Filipino charge in The Home of Martial Arts.
“I’m not yet done,” a defiant Folayang said. “In fact, I’m more fired up than ever.”
But his recent setbacks push him away from the coveted belt of the lightweight division, which fuels the doubts thrown in his way.
Folayang knows the situation he’s in better than anyone to which he also knows how to deal with it – step inside ONE Circle and not just win but win emphatically.
“Sometimes people who are doing nothing and have nothing to strive for want you to be like them and they do this by talking negatively and pulling people down,” said Folayang.
“All I do is to pray harder and train smarter. I believe that in the right time, I will be able to get rid of that skid. And that’s why me and my team are working together to bring the win home this time.”
Folayang’s last finish came almost five years ago, when his star shot up the heavens with a third-round technical knockout win over Shinya Aoki to capture his first ONE Lightweight World Championship at ONE: DEFENDING HONOR in Singapore.
Now, all Folayang wants is to show that he remains dedicated to his craft and is still one of ONE Championship’s elite.
“I want everyone to see and learn how failures will turn into victories if we keep enduring and never give up on our dreams and goals. Never give up on your dreams and never stop improving. I just keep on fighting, continue to watch and learn from others, and be receptive to the advice coming from your coach and team,” he said.
“I still have lots of names I have in mind that I want to fight, one of which being that cancelled match against [Yoshihiro] Akiyama. But right now, I need to focus on who’s in front of me and that is Zhang. Everything will just follow from there.”
Follow the writer on Twitter: @burnsports
