KEY POINTS

  • ONE Championship announced that John Wayne Parr will face Team Lakay's Eduard Folayang at ONE X in his retirement match
  • Folayang's addition to the match was met with skepticism, but it might turn out to be the best move for his career
  • Parr is aiming for his 100th career win, while Folayang looks to silence his doubters

Singapore-based ONE Championship is looking to make ONE X its biggest card yet after announcing that kickboxing legend John Wayne Parr's retirement match will have him face Filipino mixed martial arts (MMA) superstar Eduard Folayang.

Both men have a lot at stake going into this matchup as both Parr and Folayang are in desperate need of a victory.

“The Gunslinger” has been a fixture in the kickboxing scene since he made his professional debut back in 1997 and has won multiple titles with different combat sports organizations since then.

However, every fighter knows that their career has an expiration date and Parr will have one last opportunity to go out with a bang.

After a three-fight stint with Bellator Kickboxing, reports of the kickboxing legend making his way to ONE Championship were confirmed in March 2020.

His promotional debut came against Nieky Holzken at ONE on TNT III in April 2021, losing the fight in the second round via TKO–his third consecutive loss.

As for Folayang, his decision to compete in a Muay Thai match was questioned by many onlookers as it is not his line of expertise.

However, International Business Times sports editor and combat sports analyst Nissi Icasiano discussed why the fight makes sense for the former ONE lightweight champion to partake in.

“Although there are reward system and rankings in place, the nature of the business always stands pat on the notion that it is every man for himself. In order to be at the top of the food chain, one should find a way to get ahead of others. By the looks of it, [Eduard] Folayang is taking the road less traveled to bolster his stock,” Icasiano shared.

Folayang is at the same level as Parr in terms of their current track record, with Team Lakay captain losing his last four fights.

What many forget is that Folayang has experience competing in other combat sports disciplines such as wushu sanda, being a gold medal-winning representative of the Philippines at the Southeast Asian Games on three occasions.

Parr winning over Folayang would give him a storybook ending to his career as he aims for his 100th win, while Folayang gets a new lease on life in his combat sports career.

It is only right that the pair get to have their share of the spotlight at ONE Championship’s tenth-anniversary celebration on March 26 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

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