Eddie Alvarez and Eduard Folayang during ONE: Dawn of Heroes. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Eduard Folayang feels he has an unfinished business to settle against fellow MMA legend Eddie Alvarez.
After all, Folayang came so close to stopping the former UFC and Bellator lightweight king Alvarez in their first encounter back in August 2019 at ONE: Dawn of Heroes in Manila.
“Of course, that’s a great opportunity for me, it’s a great fight if that happens. It would be awesome if Alvarez vs Folayang II does happen especially on my part. I really feel that I could’ve done something more in our previous fight,” Folayang said.
Folayang had Alvarez in deep water with a brutal leg kick before going for the ground-and-pound in the first minute of their fight.
But a costly mistake by Folayang opened the door for Alvarez, who pounced on the Team Lakay veteran’s error by locking in a rear-naked choke for the submission victory.
“It wasn’t the outcome that I wanted. We all know that we all make mistakes in life. Even a small error could lead to disaster. That’s why I’m willing that Alvarez vs. Folayang II does happen,” said Folayang, a former two-time ONE lightweight champion.
Should a rematch happens, the 38-year-old Folayang vows not to commit the same mistake twice.
Focusing on his striking will also be his top priority in camp against the hard-hitting Alvarez.
“I feel that I have to drastically improve my striking and undergo an intense training camp if that fight with Eddie eventually happens,” said Folayang.