Former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon has no doubts that his good friend and Lions Nation MMA founder Eduard “Landslide” Folayang will get back at his old tormentor Shinya Aoki.
The former two-time ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion has redemption on his mind when he takes on rival-turned-good-friend Aoki in a clash between two divisional legends at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang this Sunday, March 23, at Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
Trailing Aoki in their series 2-1, this match is crucial for Folayang knowing that this is his last chance to even the score against the Japanese grappling wizard with the latter already set for retirement.
Belingon, who worked with Folayang for this camp, couldn’t be more satisfied with their preparation while praising his training partner for his determination.
“That was a great training camp,” Belingon said. “All I can say is we’ve done everything we can in our camp, and kuya Eduard has put everything into this camp to make sure he comes out prepared.”
He’s also banking on their collaborative game plan to work wonders for Folayang.
Ever since forming Lions Nation MMA, they’ve taken a team approach when it comes to preparing fight strategies — getting input from all senior members and coaches in developing the tactical plan for each fighter.
Given the results of the gym since its formation, Belingon has no doubts that it will work for Folayang.
“We’ve prepared a solid game plan for this fight, though I’m not at liberty to say what we’re gonna do, I just know that it’s gonna be perfect for this rivalry match against Shinya Aoki,” Belingon said.
With that in mind, Belingon sees no reason to doubt the Filipino MMA icon’s chances in this clash.
“Just basing it on how I’ve seen kuya Eduard work in the camp and all the preparations we did, I’m 100 percent confident in an Eduard Folayang win,” Belingon said.
“My confidence is unshaken.”