A mix of excitement and nostalgia hit Eduard Folayang as he goes back to his striking roots against Aussie muay thai legend John Wayne Parr in an all-striking match in ONE: X, ONE Championship's 10th anniversary event, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on March 26.
"'Yong feeling nandoon 'yong excitement kasi 'yon naman 'yong bread and butter natin noong nagi-i-start pa lang tayo in the Philippine team, strictly on striking (I feel excited because striking has been my bread and butter since I started early as a national team member)," said Folayang during ONE's face-to-face media day at Novotel Ballroom in Quezon City Friday Saturday, March 5.
"It will be happening under muay thai rules so may mga adjustments although sa paglalaro ko bilang MMA (mixed martial arts) athlete, marami naman tayong nakatapat or nakalaban na 'yon (striking) na 'yong naging background and pinaramdam nila kung paano maging isang muay thai athlete (There will be adjustment under muay thai rules. But I have faced many athletes who had striking background and they showed the spirit of a muay thai fighter).
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Team Lakay coach Mark Sangiao, also Folayang's former teammate and senior in the wushu national team, is also looking forward to his stalwart's comeback in the striking scene.
Sangiao recalled that even before wushu, Folayang, 37, took the path of a martial artist as a young kickboxer.
"Nakita natin, for 10 years, nakita natin 'yong performance niya and naging two-time lightweight champion siya (For the past decade, we've seen Folayang's performance and he even became a two-time lightweight champion) using the art of toes and kickboxing and wushu na pumunta sa MMA," said the Team Lakay patriarch. "'Yon 'yong nakita kong difference, 'yong pagkakumpleto ng art sa kanya nung pumunta siya sa MMA (He became a well-rounded fighter as a mixed martial artist)."
Along with ONE Championship's 10th anniversary, Folayang, a three-time wushu gold medalist in the Southeast Asian Games, considers this match extra special as 2022 also marks a decade of his career in the Singapore-based promotion.
The seasoned Team Lakay holds a 22-12 MMA record. Victory, however, remained elusive for him as he dropped six of his seven last bouts since March 2019.
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The 45-year-old Parr, for his part, will be entering the Circle for his muay thai swan song.