Eduard Folayang, Joshua Pacio, Freddie Roach
Filipino MMA stars Joshua Pacio (left) and Eduard Folayang (right) of ONE Championship pose with legendary boxing trainer Freddie Roach. Eduard Folayang

KEY POINTS

  • Eduard Folayang and Joshua Pacio's gym-hopping adventures in the U.S. led them to Freddie Roach
  • The two Filipinos were more than grateful to have met the legendary boxing trainer
  • The pair have also trained with gyms such as Jackson Wink MMA and Kings MMA

Filipino mixed martial arts (MMA) stars Eduard Folayang and Joshua Pacio are on a mission to better themselves as fighters, and the latest stop in their U.S. adventure saw them visit a well-renowned figure in the world of boxing–Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach.

The pair and the man responsible for turning Manny Pacquiao into one of the greatest boxers in history shared a photo after a training session at the world-famous Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California.

According to additional information provided by International Business Times sports editor and combat sports analyst Nissi Icasiano, Folayang and Pacio spent their day training with one of Roach's understudies in fellow Filipino Marvin Somodio.

"I am so glad I was able to shake the hands of Coach Freddie (Roach). He's one of the greatest trainers in boxing history, and it's an honor to meet him in person," Folayang said.

For Pacio, just being able to be within the sacred halls of the Wild Card was enough to get him excited.

"It's a surreal experience. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would train in a gym that has produced many world champions in boxing. It was another day of learning new techniques," the 27-year-old mentioned.

The former ONE Championship titleholders have been in the U.S. for a couple of months now after their shocking exits from the Benguet, Philippines-based Team Lakay.

During their time abroad, Folayang and Pacio have trained with the who's who of the combat sports industry.

Their first four weeks since landing overseas in April saw them in Albuquerque, New Mexico as they linked up with Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn at the Jackson Wink MMA Academy.

Next up was a closed-door training session with women's MMA cornerstone Cris "Cyborg" Justino in Huntington Beach, California before paying a visit to the Anaheim arm of Kings MMA headed by No. 4-ranked UFC lightweight contender Beneil Dariush.

Most recently, they also met up with Filipino-American fighter AJ Matthews at 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu's Oceanside location.

Folayang and Pacio both noted in their farewell letters to Team Lakay that their decision to leave their longtime gym was fueled by a desire to develop their in-ring acumen outside of their comfort zones.

With already a laundry list of the scene's celebrated gyms under their belts, only time will tell where else Folayang and Pacio will visit.

Eduard Folayang, Joshua Pacio
Eduard Folayang and Joshua Pacio share the same elation regarding ONE Championship's U.S. debut on May 5. ONE Championship
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Boxing