Wazzup Pilipinas!
Battered and defeated, Eduard Folayang knew that good was no longer good enough. Having been designated by Filipino fans and MMA experts as the country’s best mixed martial artist, he knew he needed to improve drastically to fulfill the potential that his compatriots have claimed he had.
The turning point came in Folayang’s last fight at a URCC event in Manila in January, where he was dominated by fellow ONE FC lightweight Lowen Tynanes. The less experienced Hawaiian displayed superior grappling in neutralizing Folayang, who failed to muster much offence in the bout. Losing in his home country, especially in such one-sided fashion, was a bitter pill for Folayang to swallow. Lesser men will have cowered and left the sport, but Folayang showed his resolve and dedication to the sport by relocating his training to the United States.
Folayang has one of the best striking in the division, coming through the Wushu ranks to represent the Philippines in gold medal victories in both the SEA games and Asian games. However, his grappling was sorely exposed in the bout against Tynanes. Determined to shore up his weakness, he led a nomadic lifestyle along the United States West Coast. He spent three months honing his wrestling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills in several of the top gyms in California. Folayang, who was a high school teacher before embarking on his MMA career, has since returned to Baguio to conclude his training camp with his teammates at Team Lakay.
The Asian Games Wushu gold medalist returns in front of 20,000 fans at ONE FC: Rise To Power, which takes place on May 31st at MOA Arena. Folayang’s newfound grappling skills will be put to the test against seasoned veteran Kamal Shalorus, who is a world-class wrestler and has fought some of the biggest names in the sport. The Iranian-American will definitely look to take Folayang down at some point in the fight, while Folayang probably has the best chance to win the bout if he keeps it standing.
This will be Folayang’s stiffest test to date A victory for him in his home country will vindicate his decsion to n in the United States and move him closer to his ultimate goal of becoming ONE FC champion.
ONE FC: RISE TO POWER is headlined by the ONE FC Featherweight World Championship bout between reigning champion Honorio “The Rock” Banario and the number one contender Koji Oishi, plus the ONE FC Bantamweight Interim Title bout between pound-for-pound king Bibiano Fernandes and Koetsu Okazaki. All the action takes place live from the MOA Arena in Manila, Philippines.
Tickets for ONE FC: RISE TO POWER on 31 May are exclusively available at Casino Filipino outlets nationwide. Refer to www.onefc.com/tickets for details.
Fans from around the world can witness the action online via live streaming at www.onefc.livesport.tv.
The first three undercard fights are available for viewing free-of-charge and the main card fights will be available for purchase at just US$9.99.
For more updates on ONE Fighting Championship™, please visit www.onefc.com and follow on Twitter @ONEFCMMA and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ONEFCMMA.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
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