BAGUIO CITY—Team Lakay’s Eduard “Landslide” Folayang has shifted his training to full gear for his all-out war against defending champion Shinya Aoki of Japan for the 155-pound title in One Championships’ “Defending Honor” on November 11 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.
“I am very excited because I waited for this. Good thing One gave me the chance to fight Shinya for the belt,” Folayang, 32, said after training at Team Lakay camp in La Trinidad, Benguet, on Tuesday.
Folayang displayed to the press powerful hits during a five-round sparring session with teammates, showing everyone his striking prowess, as he prepares for the tough battle against the Japanese.
“I really look into different options in fighting him. Shinya is an experienced fighter. I need to exploit his weaknesses and take it as advantage to subdue him,” Folayang said.
With a professional record of 16 wins against five losses, Folayang missed several chances of winning the belt.
With the lightweight within his reach, the 2005 Wushu World Championship bronze medalist and 2011 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist is focused on bringing the belt home.
“As an athlete, all we wanted is to be champion. But we should know that it will never be an easy task,” the flashy striker said.
He will be up against Aoki (39-6), a known grappling specialist and a celebrated fighter in Japan. Aoki has been dominating the lightweight division with his nine-match win streak, most coming from his calculated submission maneuvers.
“We all knew what Aoki can do. He is a great grappler and wrestler. But we adjusted and redefined our game plan against Aoki,” Team Lakay head trainer Mark Sangiao said.
Image credits: Stephanie Tumampos