Former ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang knew that if he wanted to move forward in his MMA career, he had to return to his striking roots.
That’s exactly what he did when he moved away from mixed martial arts to compete in Muay Thai and send off legendary John Wayne Parr in the Aussie’s retirement bout.
“I missed competing in MMA, but I’m grateful with how I performed in Muay Thai the last time out. But now I’m back to doing what I’ve been doing, my bread and butter through these years,” he said.
But now that he’s taking on Edson Marques in a lightweight MMA bout at ONE Fight Night 5: De Ridder vs. Malykhin at the Mall of Asia Arena on 3 December, he sees how valuable it was to take a break from the sport and polish his skills elsewhere.
“I’m really grateful that I faced John Wayne Parr the last time out before this fight. It was an all-striking battle and it helped me a lot,” he said.
“I think it only further motivates me to do better and be more confident for this fight, should it stay on the feet.”
Folayang also noted that he learned a lot by facing the multi-time Kickboxing and Muay Thai World Champion, things that he can apply against a noted striker in Marques.
“From that fight, my confidence grew a lot. That’s the time when I felt like my striking capabilities could be so much better, as I was able to hang with John Wayne Parr,” he said.
“The fact that I stood toe-to-toe with him, that means I’m world class. That’s a huge confidence booster.”
There’s a reason why Folayang believes his fight with Parr helped him, as he knows that the Brazilian will be more than willing to trade shots with him on the feet.
“Looking at his previous fights, [Magomedaliev] tagged him with a right punch before [Tetsuka] finished him with a left. Then he beat [Kyung], a striker, via decision, so I truly expect this fight to be settled on the feet,” he said.
While he’s willing to trade punches with his foe, Folayang isn’t writing of the possibility of shooting for submissions in this match.
“Expect a fantastic performance from me against Edson Marques,” he said. “I’m looking for a KO or, I don’t know, maybe I’ll go for submissions? We never know.”
Tickets for ONE Fight Night 5 and ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks at the Mall of Asia Arena on 3 December are available at https://linktr.ee/ONEPH.
Also, catch “Globe Presents ONE Warrior Series Philippines” every Sunday night on GTV, the ONE Super App, and watch.onefc.com. Weekly replays air on Tap Go, ONE Championship Philippines Facebook, and ONE Championship’s official YouTube