The pressure keeps mounting on the shoulders of Eduard “The Landslide” Folayang (17-5). On 21 April, he will defend his ONE Lightweight World Championship for the first time since winning the belt last November.
“The pressure is there,” he admits. “The good thing is I am more motivated [with that pressure].”
That last victory was the biggest win of the Filipino warrior’s career. Not only was it his third consecutive win, but it also came against the legendary Shinya Aoki.
Folayang handled that pressure-packed moment handily, beating Aoki by TKO in the third round. From here on out, every fight will be the next biggest one of the 33 year-old’s career.
The journey resumes for Folayang as he defends his belt at ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY on Friday Night, 21 April, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila. The arena crowd will undoubtedly be on Folayang’s side, and he is eager to represent the Philippines as well as he always has.
“I really want to show my countrymen the improvements in my skill level,” he says. “That is something I want to show them when I fight here in Manila.”
If Folayang is to stay champion after his home turf defense, he will need to do something his Team Lakay stablemates have thus far struggled to do – defeat Ev Ting (13-3). The lightweight contender will battle Folayang at ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY for the world championship.
The Malaysian challenger will step in the cage with the confidence of someone who has already managed to beat two of Folayang’s teammates – Edward Kelly and former ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio Banario.
As if Folayang needed any more reason to beat Ting, he has it in the form of payback for his teammates. Still, the champion is calm and insists that the heavier the pressure gets, the more motivated he comes.
“For me, it is just a reminder that I do not want to have the same fate as them,” he says. “They prepared for the fight and they forgot something about Ev Ting’s [style], so I am really preparing well for him.”
At the end of the day, however, Folayang knows he needs to focus on himself more than on his teammates or even his opponent. If the champ can be himself on fight night and impose his game plan, he is confident that he will stay the champion.
“The main priority,” he details, “is to give my best performance for this fight.”
