■ Harley F. Palangchao
Former ONE lightweight mixed martial arts world champion Eduard “The Landslide” Folayang has informed his legion of followers he is not yet done in combat sports.
The 40-year-old Folayang, who was once the poster boy of MMA in the Philippines, said there are fights ahead of him which is why he remains active in his training.
The last time Folayang saw action inside the ONE circle was on Sept. 29, 2023 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium where he stopped Amir Khan via knockout in the third round.
Since turning professional MMA fighter in 2007, Folayang has cemented his legacy as one of the best fighters in his era with 23 wins against 13 losses.
At present, Folayang has been busy leading fellow fighters at Lions Nation MMA, the gym he and other fighters have established since departing from Team Lakay.
With him at the new gym are former ONE MMA champions Kevin Belingon, Honorio and Banario, along with reigning ONE strawweight MMA world champion Joshua Pacio.
Also in his watch are MMA stars Stephen Loman, Jeremy Pacatiw, Danny Ki-ngad, and a dozen of up and coming fighters.
Reports have it that Folayang said he remains active and that as a professional fighter, any opportunity to fight should not be wasted.
Since he joined ONE Championship in 2011, where he headlined the ONE inaugural fight against A Sol Kwon of South Korea, Folayang has been with Asia’s biggest martial arts promotion for the past 13 years.
Recently, Folayang and Pacio paid courtesy visit to Games and Amusement Board chairman Richard Clarin and discussed how they could help propagate combat sports in the grassroots level.
