Eduard Folayang Pins Hopes On Rematch With UFC Vet Eddie Alvarez

Filipino mixed martial arts (MMA) icon Eduard Folayang is nearing the twilight of his career, but that has not stopped him from chasing after glory despite reaching the highest peaks of the sport.

Folayang revealed in a recent interview about his desire to face former UFC lightweight champion and current ONE Championship fighter Eddie Alvarez.

“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,” the Team Lakay veteran said.

Folayang and Alvarez first met in 2019 at ONE: Dawn of Heroes during the semifinals of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix.

“The Landslide” seemingly had the fight in his pocket when he surprised Alvarez with a leg kick that crumpled him to the mat with 3:37 remaining on the clock in the first round.

Sensing that the end was near, Folayang jumped on the opportunity to land some heavy ground-and-pound strikes on Alvarez, but “The Underground King” did just enough to survive it.

Alvarez would go on to win the bout a few moments later when he locked in the rear-naked choke, booking himself a spot in the finals of the tournament.

However, Alvarez had to pull out from the tournament due to an injury.

Folayang lamented the mistakes that led to his loss and is adamant that the results will change if he were given the chance to fight Alvarez again.

“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,” Folayang mentioned.

The former ONE lightweight king later added that a ton of things will need to change if he wants to stand a shot at upending the MMA legend, specifically his striking game.

“I feel that I have to drastically improve my striking and undergo an intense training camp if that fight with Eddie [Alvarez] eventually happens,” he stressed.

Folayang’s last fight saw him take on Muay Thai icon John Wayne Parr in the latter’s retirement fight at ONE X in March of this year, winning the bout by unanimous decision after a three-round war that drew heavy praise from the combat sports community.

Carrying a much-polished striking arsenal thanks to his experience against Parr and fighting under the Muay Thai ruleset, Folayang’s hopes of a second fight with Alvarez could very much become a reality.