Eduard Folayang returns to ONE and will face Japanese MMA legend

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

 

Eduard Folayang is set to make his ONE return once again and will try to prove to everyone that he still belongs in the MMA league.

After suffering back-to-back losses, questions started to surface whether it would be best if the former ONE lightweight champion retires and pass the torch to the younger generation.

However, Folayang disregarded the retirement issues and felt like he has more left in the tank left to compete and still have a shot at the belt he lost.

But things won’t be that easy for Folayang after ONE Fighting Championship scheduled him to face one of Japan’s MMA icons, the legendary Yoshihiro Akiyama.

Naturally a welterweight, the Japanese managed to decrease weight and make himself a lightweight eligible fighter in order to allow the bout to push through.

One of the best judokas the world has ever seen, Akiyama was a former gold medalist during the 2001 Asian Championships for South Korea and 2002 for Japan.

Despite coming off consecutive losses as well, Akiyama is still one of the toughest fighters in ONE in terms of experience and technique.

Folayang, on the other hand, is currently working on his conditioning and will aim to provide fans an action-packed bout with one of the most iconic figures in MMA.