FILE PHOTO – ONE Championship: Kings of Destiny at Mall of Asia Arena last April 21. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Eduard Folayang is set to make his fighting return in the Philippines since losing his title to Martin Nguyen in November 2017.
The former ONE lightweight World champion will face undefeated Aziz Pahrudinov (20-0) in the ONE: Reign of Kings card on July 27 at Mall of Asia Arena.
Folayang (19-6) was on a four-fight winning streak before he lost to Nguyen on Nov. 10, 2017 via knockout but he has since bounced back with a dominant unanimous decision win over Kharun Atlangeriev.
Kevin Belingon, Folayang’s stable mate at Team Lakay, will headline the card as he faces featherweight and lightweight champion Nguyen for the ONE interim bantamweight belt.
Joshua Pacio, another member of Team Lakay, will also feature in the card as he goes up against Pongsiri Mitsatit of Thailand in a strawweight bout.
With two straight wins under his belt, Pacio (11-2) will go up against the undefeated Mitsatit who holds a 9-0 record.
Rene Catalan (4-2) of Catalan Fighting System will try to extend his four-fight winning streak as he goes up against Indonesia’s Stefer Rahardian (8-0) in their strawweight bout.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend Renzo Gracie (13-7), a member of the iconic Gracie family, will finish his MMA career in Manila as he battles Yuki Kondo (60-34) of Japan.
And if Gracie will have his swan song in Manila, Thai superstar Shannon Wiratchai (9-2) will make his first visit in the Philippine capital when he takes on Japanese icon Shinya Aoki (40-8).
Italian kickboxing star Armen Petrosyan, who was once crowned as the World Muay Thai Association World super welterweight champion, will make his ONE Super Series debut against Democratic Republic of Congo’s Chris Ngimbi, the World Kickboxing Association Muay Thai World champion.
Ngimbi and Petrosyan have some shared history with the Congolese having fought the Italian’s brother Giorgio twice in 2017 and 2008.
Cyprus’ Panicos Yusuf, a two-time Muay Thai World Champion, will go up against China’s Han Zi Hao, a Top King Muay Thai World Champion, in the ONE Super Series for Muay Thai.
The United States’ Garry Tonon (1-0) will look to build momentum in his young MMA career as he faces India’s Rahul Raju in the lightweight division.
Cambodia’s Sor Rey (4-2) will take on China’s Xie Bin (4-2) in the card’s opening fight.