Team Lakay’s Eduard Folayang. –ONE CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–Former ONE lightweight world champion Eduard Folayang adds more firepower to the already-stacked ONE Fight Night 5: De Ridder vs. Malykhin on the morning of December 3 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Folayang returns to action against Edson “Panico” Marques in ONE Championship’s return to the Philippines in close to three years.
The Team Lakay veteran will be fighting on the same day as his stablemates, who are bannering the ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks fight card on the night of the same day.
“Of course I’m happy. I feel honored being put on the forefront of a card that will air live in US prime time through Prime Video, being one of the few Filipinos in that card,” Folayang said.
“It’s such a huge motivating factor for me because our trajectory is heading west, and I’d love to entertain our fans over there and make new ones.”
Eleven years since being the main event of ONE Championship’s first show ever, Folayang remains a force in the promotion and he’s honored to be competing once again in his home soil.
“All I wanted to do is compete again and join this card. It doesn’t matter who I face. Actually I was waiting for [Yoshihiro] Akiyama but I think he turned down the offer in fighting me,” he said.
“Nonetheless, I’m grateful because I was included, and since the event will be in the Philippines for the first time in three years, I’m super excited. I’m looking forward to performing in front of my home crowd.”
Folayang joins the stacked morning show headlined by the clash between two-division world Reinier De Ridder, who defends his ONE lightweight strap against Anatol Malykhin.
At night, Joshua Pacio makes a tough title defense of his ONE strawweight belt against Jarred Brooks.