I DIDN’T start out as a mixed martial arts (MMA) fan. But after last Friday’s ONE: Kings of Destiny Fight Night, I became one.
The first lightweight title defense of reigning champ Eduard Folayang of Baguio’s mythic Team Lakay turned out to be one effusive outpouring of support and adulation for the hometown hero. I was in the presence of greatness.
In the main event of the evening, for which a lot of people skipped work just to line up for tickets, a big contingent of MMA fans from the north came down to the lowlands to watch their lakay fight, and fans lined up at the ticketron well into the night, Eduard “The Landslide” Folayang faced talented, determined gritty and intense challenger Ev Ting.
It was a heavy back and forth of hard hits on flesh, of long presses into the cage wire, of watching and waiting and sizing up the opponent. Then Folayang would unleash a bouquet of moves: body kicks, back fists, roundhouse and spinning wheel kicks. Through all five rounds of the title fight, he impressed by being judicious, staying true to his game plan and keeping his distance from the avid Ting. He showed his fighting caliber and unveiled various levels of defense and trickier offense.
Ting pressed on, but Folayang did not wince. Yet, he made sure he was never vulnerable. Above all the daring and taunting that Ting put on at times, Folayang did not bite. Instead, he found holes, windows and doors to hit Ting where it hurt. Frustrated to land one solid, deadly strike for which he was famous, in contrast to Folayang whose hands and feet danced in the air and found their mark, Ting had to settle for second best. Folayang, thus, became the reigning Filipino cage hero from a different cage—watched and congratulated inside the cage by 8-division boxing champion and Sen. Manny Pacquiao, no less. The judges gave him their unanimous nod. Thus, he retained the crown, and was hailed “true, undisputed champion”.
TV sports analyst Chino Trinidad took it one step further. “Watch out for Eduard. He will be the next big Filipino sports hero after Manny Pacquiao,” he said.
Trinidad explained that what Folayang accomplished against Shinya Aoki last November in Singapore was huge. “Alam mo ba ’yung tinalo niya? Legend ’yun! Napakalaking bagay nung pagkapanalo ni Eduard na ’yun.” Aoki was an elite Japanese MMA fighter who hadn’t lost a fight in 10 bouts in four-and-a-half years. But his reign came to an end from the fists of Eduard Folayang, who won by technical knockout at the packed Sigapore Indoor Stadium that night. Since then, Folayang has become the face of Filipino MMA.
“He is exactly what the sport needs,” Trinidad added.
At the postfight press conference, the gallant Ting paid tribute to Folayang. “You Filipinos should be proud of your champion. [I have] much respect for him,” Ting said, his voice breaking.
Folayang reciprocated the compliment when his turn came. “He [Ting] was very dangerous. I am impressed with his hunger. I saw it in his eyes when we looked at each other. Pinaghandaan niya talaga ang laban na ito. He also surprised me with his stamina. I didn’t think he would last that long. He received a lot of knee hits to the stomach, but he was still full of energy to the last. He tried to lure me into a brawl so he could set up a good shot, an upper cut. But I just kept on moving. I did not bite.”
Folayang said he could feel Ting’s power but took hold of it. “Napi-feel ko ‘yung power niya and alam ko may explosion siya [na naghihintay]. Pero kinontrol ko ‘yung power niya. Hindi ko rin nilaro ‘yung game plan nila,” he explained.
Addressing the media with lessons learned from the fight, Folayang said: “When I lost the last time, you thought my career was finished. But this is martial arts. You come back. You must conquer that defeat. I learned from it and from the mistakes of my teammates, as well. So this time I was very careful. I really concentrated on defense. I am happy you are all here tonight so I can share the essence and valuable lessons of mixed martial arts with everyone. I want to show that MMA is not just fighting and violence. It is also self-discipline, courage, respect and honor.”
Folayang said he was very encouraged by the presence of Pacquiao in the crowd. And when he came up to the cage to congratulate him, the senator-boxer told him: “You are one of the legends of Philippine MMA now.”
“We Pinoy athletes are lucky because we have many great athletes who support us, even if they come from different sports. Tonight is a great opportunity for us to show the world what Filipino mixed martial arts is all about,” Folayang ended.
The legendary Team Lakay built on their mythology by sweeping their respective opponents in the undercards. Kevin Belingon forced Finn Toni Tauru into verbal submission. Flyweight Danny Kingad totally dominated Malaysian Muhammad Aiman in three rounds. Honorio Banario put out Czech newcomer Jaroslav Jartim with a left hook. And Gina Iniong, who was debuting on the One cage, outclassed Fil-Brit opponent Natalie Gonzales Hills through strikes.
Eduard Folayang is right. If you look beneath the physical part of the fight, you’ll find spirit flowing strongly in each fighter. You admire their fearlessness, their self-denial, their respect and dedication. Then you see their love. And feel their passion.