Eduard Folayang Returns To Arena Where International Career Began Over 10 Years Ago

The Singapore Indoor Stadium played an integral role in the inception of ONE Championship as a combat sports organization over 10 years ago, but the venue also served as a jump-off point of a revered Filipino mixed martial artist’s international career.

Located in the urbanized locale of Kallang, the 12,000-seater arena hosted the organization’s first-ever live event on September 3, 2011 titled “ONE FC: Champion vs. Champion,” where it gave the global audience their first glimpse of then-rising star Eduard Folayang.

The Pinoy fan-favorite from Team Lakay headlined the 10-match card, turning in an enthralling performance over the course of three rounds to rout South Korean veteran A Sol Kwon by way of clear-cut unanimous decision.

On Saturday, March 26, Folayang will return to the site where it all began.

He is set to take on Australian legend John Wayne Parr under Muay Thai rules on the “Grand Finale” portion of the much-awaited ONE X—the 10th-anniversary show of ONE Championship.

Speaking with International Business Times sports editor and combat sports analyst Nissi Icasiano, the proud son of Baguio City, Philippines couldn’t help but feel nostalgic.

“I feel really grateful for this opportunity to be part of this big event and to be competing where it all started for me at the international level,” Folayang told Icasiano.

Out of the last 22 bouts that he figured in under the ONE Championship banner, Folayang had seven of them at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, including his upset win over Japanese rival Shinya Aoki for the lightweight title in November 2016.

“Getting the belt in 2016 will forever be my favorite moment inside that beautiful arena. It’s an unforgettable moment for me,” he said when asked about his fondest memories at the aforementioned showground.

However, his last three outings—which coincidentally took place at the same building—resulted in heartbreaking losses that downgraded his professional MMA record to 22-12.

Determined to prove that he has a lot left in his gas tank, Folayang will once again strut his wares under the bright lights of the Singapore Indoor Stadium against a well-respected figure in both Muay Thai and kickboxing.

While odds are stacked against Folayang to pull off the impossible and beat Parr in his own game, “The Landslide” is keeping an optimistic mindset heading into the three-round encounter.

“My senses tell me that a positive outcome is waiting for me this Saturday,” he stated. “I am determined to create new memories in that building, memories that will last forever like the one when I won the title from Shinya Aoki.”

“As we always say at Team Lakay, we are the people of the mountains and there is no mountain we cannot conquer.”