A world title is nice and all but Eduard Folayang’s most prized possession is his family especially now that he already has two daughters—two-year-old Yeshuareigns and Yahamaziach.
That’s why as hard as Folayang trains and as tough as he is inside the cage, keeping himself healthy is his utmost priority.
“[Having two daughters] helps me think smarter and work harder in my endeavors, and I get the urgency to become better in balancing my time and priorities,” stressed the two-time ONE lightweight world champion.
“You can’t take away the desire of self-preservation from a person, especially when thinking about our children’s future.”
His youngest was born last December when he was working tirelessly to recapture the lightweight belt he yielded to Martin Nguyen.
Somehow, someway Folayang, with the help of his wife Genevieve found a way to manage his time.
“It was a huge sacrifice for both of us. I’m thankful for my wife, who was so understanding, and for friends, who were more than willing to help,” he said. “Our situations complemented [each other] in the sense that she was going through a lot, which gave me more motivation to do well in preparing for the match.
“It gives me the motivation to provide for their needs because I had the realization that I need to fulfill my responsibility as a father and provider for them when my second child came.”
With his wife behind him and his two daughters fuelling him even more, Folayang hopes to retain the lightweight strap in a title rematch with Japanese legend Shinya Aoki in the main event of ONE: A New Era on March 31 at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.
“I [would like for them to see] that I have shared my gifts through martial arts to the world,” he said.
“I hope they see that through my accomplishments, I have inspired even just a handful of people to be better in their own endeavors.”