Former two-time ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio can only marvel at how his manong and teammate Eduard “Landslide” Folayang keeps the fire burning at this point of his career. 

Folayang returns to action against Amir Khan in a rematch of their 2018 fight, this time at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham on Sept. 30 inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium. 

Having seen how Folayang grinds on a daily basis in their new gym, Lions Nation MMA, Pacio is awed by the type of work his senior has been putting in. 

That’s why he’s confident that Folayang will be rewarded with a breakthrough win, a win that is long overdue for the Filipino MMA icon. 

“He’s very motivated. Going up against a familiar foe, I know that Eduard knows what to do with him. Looking at him now, he’s really, really confident. He’s been training really well,” he said. 

“He wants to prove that he’s not yet done, he wants to show it to everyone, and I know he’s going to show it. You guys just have to wait and see.” 

Since Pacio is also preparing for a bout against #5-ranked strawweight MMA contender Mansur Malachiev at ONE Fight Night 15: Tawanchai vs. Superbon on October 7, Pacio’s been sharing a lot of time with Folayang in the gym, which only motivates him to do better. 

Pacio has been going the extra mile after watching his 39-year-old training partner, a man who’s achieved and gone through almost everything in the sport, prove that he still belongs here. 

After all, if Folayang – with all his mileage – can do it, then Pacio can too. 

“I’m grateful to be working with him every day at this point in his career,” he said. 

“It motivates me further to do better because despite his age, when you look at his hunger and desire, we can really say that he embodies the words, ‘martial arts is life.’ There’s no age limit in martial arts.”