Eduard Folayang unfazed by Japan crowd in ONE title rematch with hometown bet

TOKYO, Japan—Eduard Folayang thinks facing Shinya Aoki in his home turf won’t play any factor in their title rematch in the main event of ONE: A New Era at Ryogoku Kokugikan here.

Folayang won the lightweight crown for the first time when he stopped Aoki in the third round back in November 2016 in Singapore.

“I just think about it as we’re just fighting in a different place because, at the end of the day, we’re just fighting inside the same cage. It’s only the environment that changed,” Folayang told Filipino scribes Friday during Team Lakay’s media availability at Grand Prince Hotel.

But  Folayang admitted that fighting before a hometown crowd adds to Aoki’s motivation to recapture the belt.

The lightweight champion also said he is expecting to face the same version of Aoki though, he won’t be surprised if the Japanese legend uses a technique different from than the last time.

At 34, Folayang feels he’s still going strong and still has a lot left to give.

“I think there are still a lot of things I can show especially now that more great fighters our coming to the lightweight division,” Folayang.