Former ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang insists he is not yet done, even after consecutive losses on the ONE Championship stage.
Folayang turns 36 before the year ends and he is eager to show that he can still compete in the highest level despite his age. Coincidentally, the Team Lakay stalwart celebrates his birthday just two weeks after ONE: MASTERS OF FATE set on November 8 at the Mall of Asia Arena and he hopes to have an early birthday gift for himself.
“The final card in Manila is nearing and I really hope to join it because it’s the perfect venue for my redemption,” Folayang said, whose birthday is on November 22.
"Ending the year with a win would be one of the best gifts that I’ll receive for my 36th birthday. After the tough losses I endured this year, there’s no better place [to win again] than in front of my countrymen,” he added. “That’s why I’m really praying that I get called up for that card."
If he gets included in ONE’s fourth show in the Philippines this year, the school teacher-turned athlete insists he is prepared.
“I’m in good shape now. I train everyday because I help out my teammates in preparation for ONE: CENTURY.”
The Baguio City-native admits the losses still haunt him from time to time, especially since he came really close to advancing to the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix Championship Final only to let it slip away against Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez at ONE: DAWN OF HEROES.
But “Landslide” is a veteran, and he knows dwelling on setbacks will get him nowhere.
“To be honest, it still comes back to me from time to time, but I’m trying to condition my mindset again that making mistakes is a part of being an athlete,” Folayang shared.
“What’s important is I learned my lesson – though it came in a painful way, it’s still going to help me moving forward.”
Healthy and in high spirits right now, the Filipino said he is on the lookout for his next outing. “As we’ve always said, it’s either you win or you learn and I certainly learned a lot in my matches against Aoki and Alvarez this year,” Folayang stated.
“I’m very motivated to bounce back strong, and I can’t wait to get back in there and show that I’m still here.”
In the meantime, catch ONE: CENTURY, the biggest World Championship martial arts event in history. No organization has ever promoted two full-scale World Championship events in one day.
The Home Of Martial Arts breaks new ground as 28 World Champions compete in multiple World Title bouts, three World Grand Prix Championship Finals, and several World Champion versus World Champion matches.
The action happens at the famous Ryogoku Kokugikan on October 13 in Tokyo, Japan.
Download the ONE Super App to catch all the action.