Filipino superstar Eduard “Landslide” Folayang is one of Asia’s most beloved mixed martial artists as he has captivated fans around the globe with his warm personality, humble demeanor, and epic battles in ONE Championship.
Over the course of his seven-year promotional run, the 34-year-old native of Baguio City, Philippines has enjoyed a long list of unforgettable moments in ONE Championship.
Here are three of Folayang’s career-defining bouts that left an indelible mark inside the ONE Championship cage.
Three-round domination of Australia’s Adrian Pang
Folayang made his case for a shot at the ONE Lightweight World Championship with resounding clarity as he defeated Adrian Pang of Australia via unanimous decision in the co-headliner of ONE: HEROES OF THE WORLD in August 2016.
Under duress from an aggressive and confident adversary, Folayang turned to his tactical game plan to break down Pang in the first two rounds of the contest.
Folayang staggered Pang with inside leg kicks and two spinning backfists while waiting for the right timing to launch his whirling back kicks to the head and midsection.
Although wrestling is Pang’s bread-and-butter, Folayang surprised the Australian veteran by taking him down with a hip toss and managed to apply his weight on the mat for a sturdy top control.
Folayang was in cruise control when he was comfortably delivering his high kicks and looping right hands, but Pang remained unruffled as he opened his arms and invited the Filipino to throw more strikes.
Even though Folayang marvelously dropped Pang to the canvas with a sneaky-but-solid right straight at the start of the third and final period, the Aussie found his groove, transitioning to top position before pummeling his Filipino foe with slashing elbows.
In the dying seconds of the third round, Folayang attempted to fasten a Kimura lock and briefly latched on a guillotine choke after going for a sweep to switch positions.
Triumphant ONE Championship debut
When ONE Championship made its worldwide premiere in September 2011, with its inaugural show ONE: CHAMPION VS CHAMPION in Singapore, Folayang faced South Korean striker A-Sol Kwon in the night’s headline attraction.
As soon as the opening bell sounded inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium, the two warriors traded thunderous strikes at the center of the ONE Championship cage.
Operating behind his famed Wushu Sanda stance with long-time coach Mark Sangiao in his corner, Folayang connected with boxing combinations and his patented powerful kicks.
However, it was not a walk in the park for Folayang as he had to persevere through adversity.
Kwon landed a few sharp blows early in the bout, but the most significant damage came from an accidental head-butt that forced Folayang to compete with a broken nose.
Despite accumulating significant and visible damage in the first two rounds, Folayang did not slow down for a moment, dictating the pace of the contest and clobbering a huge proportion of his strikes.
Folayang turned up the pressure in the third stanza in an effort to finish his opponent, throwing kicks to the body and the legs.
Moreover, he reversed the South Korean’s takedown attempt and continued to light up his foe until the final bell rang.
Although he could not find a decisive end to the match-up, Folayang did more than enough to sway the judges’ decision in his favor and took a unanimous decision win back home to the Philippines.
Shocking championship conquest
After nine years of competing in mixed martial arts, Folayang captured his first world title in the sport, pulling off an upset victory over Japanese legend Shinya Aoki in the main event of ONE: DEFENDING HONOR in November 2016.
Folayang dethroned Aoki by way of third-round technical knockout, driving a hard knee to the head before unleashing a barrage of punches to coerce referee Yuji Shimada to wave it off.
Two years after winning the biggest prize in ONE Championship’s lightweight division Folayang looks to redeem the gold-plated strap that he relinquished to Martin Nguyen in November 2017.
Folayang is slated to face Singaporean sensation Amir Khan for the vacant ONE Lightweight World Championship in the main event of ONE: CONQUEST OF CHAMPIONS, which takes place at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on 23 November.
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