Folayang upbeat despite KO loss to Nguyen, vows to come back
Martin Nguyen lands the overhand right counter that cost Eduard Folayang his title. | ONE Championship
MANILA, Philippines — It was a bleak picture, to say the least: Eduard Folayang falling prey before his hometown crowd. Losing the lightweight title to a division visitor. Falling flat on the canvas unconscious. All in one Friday night.
But that’s no longer the case now.
Politely asking to be excused from interviews, the soft-spoken the Team Lakay skipper remains optimistic of the road ahead.
“I tip my hat off to Martin Nguyen. He did his homework well and came very prepared,” he shared. "The odds were not in my favor last Friday.”
Folayang, who was defending his title for the second time in the year, caught a vicious overhand right just as he was about to uncork an equally solid spinning back-kick in the second round of his cross-divisional
title match with Flyweight kingpin Martin Nguyen at the Mall of Arena.
In control in the first round, Folayang’s challenger — all in one swift motion — flipped the script, ended the match and made ONE Championship history.
“Because of this, my hunger for improvement remains unsatiated. This is a big lesson learned. I believe challenges inside and outside the cage always bring out the best in us,” Folayang said.
"I assure you that the journey doesn't end here,” the Baguio City native added, allaying fears of a possible early retirement.
"At this point, I assure my followers and the fans of Team Lakay that I am alright and there is nothing to be anxious about. I am still in good physical condition,” he added.
Folayang’s fall came a on the eve of what could’ve been the first-year anniversary of the night when he upset grappling legend Shinya Aoki for the Lightweight title. The loss has brought the Philippine MMA’s face’s pro win-loss record to 18-6.
He also said that the setback hardly put a dent to his morale.
"This is a big lesson learned. I believe challenges inside and outside the cage always bring out the best in us,” Folayang noted.
“I will exert our best efforts to wave our Philippine flag more triumphantly in 2018,” he assured.
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