ONE Championship have announced that a champion vs. champion match-up between lightweight king Eduard ‘Landslide’ Folayang and featherweight king Martin ‘The Situ-Asian’ Nguyen will headline their ONE: Legends of the World event on November 10 in Manila.
Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “ONE Championship continues to push the boundaries of sports and entertainment with each event, and our next show in Manila is going to be absolutely phenomenal. Two world champions in their respective weight classes are set to go head-to-head in a cross-divisional showdown that will be talked about the world over. Newly-minted ONE featherweight world champion Martin Nguyen will take on reigning ONE lightweight world champion Eduard Folayang in a bout that is sure to produce fireworks.”
Eduard Folayang is one of the Philippines’ most experienced martial artists and has amassed an impressive 18-5 professional record. The 33-year-old veteran is currently riding a four-bout win-streak, which includes an emphatic technical knockout victory over Japanese legend Shinya Aoki to capture the ONE lightweight championship in 2016. Last time out, in April, Folayang showcased his improved wrestling and grappling to defeat Ev Ting over the five-round distance.
“As a martial artist, I am constantly in search of the biggest challenges, the biggest tests of my skills,” said Folayang. “As champion, I welcome any and all challengers. Martin (Nguyen) is one of the best in the world and it is an honor to share the ONE Championship cage with him. This is a bout for the fans, and I can’t wait to perform in front of my hometown crowd in Manila once again. I have complete respect for my opponent’s skills and together with my brothers at Team Lakay, my coach Mark Sangiao, I’m preparing to showcase the best version of Eduard Folayang on 10 November.”
Twenty-eight-year-old Martin Nguyen of Sydney, Australia, is a highly-skilled finisher and one of the best featherweights in MMA. Last August, Nguyen, 9-1, scored the biggest victory of his career when he stopped former undefeated featherweight champion Marat ‘Cobra’ Gafurov in Macao to capture the ONE featherweight world championship.
Nguyen said: “New Years’ will be coming early this year, because in this fight there will definitely be fireworks. I’m out not only to make a statement, but to go down in history as the best to ever compete under the ONE Championship banner. I have the utmost respect for the lightweight champion, and will definitely not take his skills for granted. But this is going to be a dog fight. It’s the first time two champions in different divisions go head-to-head in ONE, and I am excited to give the performance of a lifetime. The real winner of this bout will be the fans at the Mall of Asia Arena.”
