Former ONE Lightweight world champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang expects his upcoming match to be more mental than physical as he looks to end his slump in ONE Championship.
The Filipino mixed martial arts star takes on Chinese icon Zhang “The Warrior” Lipeng in the main event of the previously recorded ONE: BATTLEGROUND II, which airs on August 13 from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
“The mentality is to win this one. This is a very important fight. This is one of those steps for me to be closer to my goal,” Folayang said.
Having dropped five of his last six bouts, “Landslide” knows that he has to make changes this time around.
But those changes won’t necessarily be physical – he has always remained in tip-top shape and has always been prepared for all of his matches, win or lose.
For Folayang, it’s all about the right mindset entering this contest.
“There are a lot of factors for me in this match, and most of it is mental. I have to overcome that,” Folayang said.
“Physically, we can push ourselves, but during those off times, when you’re not training, there are a lot of thoughts that spring up, the what ifs. Then you hear all these naysayers and ‘experts,’ so you really have to be tough mentally.”
Folayang has been a target of some doubters in the Philippine mixed martial arts community following his string of losses. As he struggled to get wins, talks of Folayang hanging up the gloves for good surfaced.
However, the idea of retiring is something the 36-year-old doesn’t entertain, especially since he knows he has a lot more to give.
“You have to shut down those . The moment you let that voice in, that’s the time you struggle. Right now, what I need is 100 percent focus. I have to be 100 percent committed in rising up again and winning once more,” Folayang said.
“The best thing I can do is to focus and set a positive mindset for myself, that whatever happens, it won’t define me – never give up, just keep floating and get closer to where you really want to be.”
ONE returns to action with ONE: BATTLEGROUND II, where Eduard “Landslide” Folayang takes on Zhang “The Warrior” Lipeng in the main event.
ONE Sports and ONE Sports+ will cut to the broadcast at 9 p.m. Philippine Standard Time (PHT) on Friday, 13 August. Download the ONE Super App for more info.
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