IN mixed martial arts battles, the margin between victory and defeat is razor-thin which is why Eduard Folayang had to execute his game plan perfectly to beat MMA legend Shinya Aoki to win the ONE Championship world lightweight crown.
After keeping Aoki at bay through three rounds Folayang met the lunging Japanese with a flying knee to the temple which rocked his opponent out of his senses early in the third.
Aoki grabbed Folayang instinctively but the Filipino fighter pushed him aside then pinned Aoki to the cage. Folayang delivered another vicious knee and when Aoki turned his back and assumed a fetal position Folayang rained down vicious blows at the side of his head which forced Referee Yuji Shimada to halt the bout.
“That was our game plan. We knew we had to meet Aoki’s lunges with knees. That was our game plan from the start. We expected to win by TKO or KO. Or we could have lost by submission. We all saw how Aoki tried to submit Eduard in the first two rounds,” said Folayang’s coach and friend Mark Sangiao.
Eduard’s mentor said there were no surprises from Aoki who also executed his own game plan to the letter. With the victory Sangiao said he and his fighter are not about to relax.
“With great power comes great responsibility. Now that he has won the world title we have to think how he could maintain his condition. It’s difficult to keep in shape once you’ve accomplished something. We cannot afford to relax,” said Sangiao.
“We are not about to stop. We will continue to do our job. We showed that we could produce a world champion. We want to do everything to maintain the standing of of Eduard.”
Sangiao said he considers Eduard a brother. That is why he is so happy for Folayang’s success.
“I can’t begin to express my feeling. We were almost in tears after the victory. This victory is for Eduard and the team. This is for the country as well,” said Sangiao.
“I was so happy. I couldn’t believe what just happened. After the win I just looked up and thanked the Lord. This is God’s promise. But you can’t just rush things. If you work hard and pray, God will grant you his blessings in his own perfect time,” said Folayang.
“Sometimes we tend to get impatient. If there are hardships in life we sometimes give up. I’ve learned by lesson. You shouldn’t have that attitude. Everything will come in God’s perfect time. I spent several years in hardship in the wilderness. But in his own time I was brought by the Lord to success in his own perfect time.”
Folayang also expressed his gratitude to ONE Championship, the biggest fight promotion in Asia, for the opportunities provided by the organization.
“It’s a blessing to have ONE Championship. You can see that there are regular events and fights. ONE Championship arrived at the perfect time to give fighters, not just Filipinos but all Asian fighters, the chance to showcase their skills.
Folayang had some testy moments especially early in the fight. In the first round Aoki almost immediately lunged forward and met a flying knee which he barely blocked. Aoki kept Folayang on the mat with submission attempts which the Filipino seemed to barely survive.
Folayang completely missed a second round flying knee attempt in the second round with Aoki grabbing Eduard and then slamming him hard to the floor. Aoki then made several submission attempts which Folayang survived. Late in the second round Aoki ran out of gas and was hit hard with knees to the torso by Folayang.
The third round was quick and decisive with Folayang finally connecting with his flying knee and beating Aoki comprehensively.