Former ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang looks to end a dismal 2019 as he takes on another tough opponent in his next assignment.
Folayang will be a man with much to prove when he battles Amarsanaa Tsogookhuu of Mongolia in the co-main event of ONE: MASTERS OF FATE at the Mall Of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on 8 November.
This will be Folayang’s third match after suffering two first-round submission losses in a span of five months.
The 35-year-old dropped his World Title Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki at ONE: A NEW ERA in March and then lost against Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez at ONE: DAWN OF HEROES in the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix semifinals in August.
Now the Team Lakay star hopes to put his struggles in the past.
“I am really excited for this match. This is a huge opportunity to end the year on a good note. I’m focused to show what I have left before the year ends,” Folayang said.
“This is also an opportunity to show that they cannot count me out. This is my first step in regaining my belt.”
The soft-spoken lightweight believes he has filled the holes in his game.
From his grappling to his mental toughness, those are the things he is working on.
“Training has been intense for this match. I’ve learned a lot of lessons from my previous two matches, I’ve really decided to improve and show everyone that I am motivated to get back up there,” Folayang said.
“The mental calmness, being focused in every aspect. Wherever it goes, that’s what I am focusing on lately. I’m really excited to show everyone what I have been working on in the gym,” he added.
The man standing in Folayang’s path is Tsogookhuu, and he is no slouch.
Tsogookhuu is a former MGL-1 FC Lightweight Champion and Shidokan Karate World Cup winner.
The 29-year-old Ulaanbaatar native owns a 5-1 record with a majority of those wins coming from knockout. Also, he trains at both the Shiren Beelii Gym and Mongolian Top Team, the best teams in Mongolia.
In his ONE Championship debut at ONE: CLASH OF LEGENDS in Bangkok in February, Tsogookhuu soundly beat hometown hero Shannon “One Shin” Wiratchai.
“Of course he wants to beat me. I saw how he moves against Shannon, I noticed that he’s not only a striker, but he has also a good ground game based on what I saw in his last fight,” Folayang said.
“He will capitalize on your errors if you get careless whether on the feet or on the ground.”
Nevertheless, “Landslide” does not lack confidence and vows to show fans how much he has improved.
“You will see a smarter and a more aggressive Folayang,” he said.
“I’ll do everything to win in front of my compatriots and end the year strong. This is the first step to my goal of becoming a World Champion once more, and that’s why it’s important to win.”
ONE Championship returns this Friday, 25 October with ONE: DAWN OF VALOR at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The main card airs live on ABS-CBN S+A at 9:30pm.
The Home Of Martial Arts then returns to the Mall Of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines for ONE: MASTERS OF FATE on 8 November.