On August the 31st, at ONE FC: Pride of a Nation, top Filipino lightweight, Eduard “Landslide” Folayang will be stepping back into the cage in front of 16,500 screaming Filipino MMA fans. Folayang will be facing Felipe Enomoto and will be looking to bounce back from his loss to Ole Laursen at ONE FC: War of the Lions.
We managed to catch up with the immensely popular Filipino fighter to speak on his upcoming fight against Enomoto at ONE FC: Pride of a Nation, his preparation for the fight and what it means to him to be fighting in front of his fellow countrymen.
TFN: First and foremost, thank you for your time Eduard, we know that you must have a super busy schedule!
EF: Hi TFN! Thanks also for the opportunity to do this interview.
TFN: In less than a month you’ll be fighting at the biggest MMA show ever to be held in the Philippines. What does it mean to you to fight in front of your fellow Filipinos and represent your country in Asia’s biggest MMA promotion?
EF: It means a lot to me and I’m very happy to be fighting in my own country and representing it in Asia’s biggest MMA promotion! This is one of the most important fights in my career.
TFN: It is expected for the event to be sold out completely meaning that you will be fighting in front of 16,500 fans. Will this be added pressure or added motivation for you?
EF: I think this will be an added motivation for me to do my best in this fight. I’ll just go there and do my assignment.
TFN: Your opponent for the event will be Felipe Enomoto. What do you think of Felipe and his ability in the cage? What’s the most dangerous thing about him in your opinion?
EF: Felipe I think is a good fighter in the cage. The most dangerous thing about him is his stand up game and his desire to prove himself again in the cage.
TFN: Felipe Enomoto defeated Ole Laursen who handed you your last defeat at ONE FC: War of the Lions. What effect does that have on you knowing the Felipe convincingly defeated someone whom you just recently lost to?
EF: I am persuaded to do my best in this fight knowing that he beat Ole convincingly and this is a challenge for me also to prove that I am a different fighter.
TFN: Speaking of your last fight, many people were very vocal saying that you actually won it. In your opinion do you think you did enough in that battle with Ole to actually win it?
EF: Well everybody is entitled on their own judgment depending on how they see the fight. As for me I think I gave all the best in that fight but the decision was still in the hands of the judges.
TFN: How are you preparing for your upcoming fight with Felipe Enomoto?
EF: I trained smart and hard for my preparation. I learned a lot of lessons from my last fight and that’s why my preparation is somehow different now.
TFN: Would you say that a victory over Felipe at ONE FC: Pride of a Nation, in front of 16,500 Filipino fans, would be one of the biggest moments of your whole career?
EF: For me it will be one of the biggest moments in my career. I still have the hunger and dream to be one of the best in this division.
TFN: How would you like to finish the fight with Felipe and can fans expect a very exciting fight on the 31st of August?
EF: I like to finish the fight in any way that will be possible and the fans can expect an action packed fight!
TFN: ONE FC has stated that at its next event, Rise of Kings, in October, it will be crowning world champions. Given that you have a fantastic record of 11-2, do you think that a win over Felipe would make you one of the top contenders for the ONE FC Lightweight Title?
EF: What I consider now is to do my best in this fight and to win because I believe that this is another step up the ladder of the top contenders in this division.
TFN: Do you have any parting words to your Filipino fans and all your other fans across Asia?
EF: To all my fellow Filipinos and MMA fans in Asia and the whole world, I’m inviting everyone to come and support us in our upcoming fight on August 31, 2012 in Araneta, Coliseum! May God bless us all!
Here’s the ONE Fighting Championship 5: Pride of a Nation fight card
August 31, 2012 — Araneta Coliseum, Philippines
- Shinya Aoki vs TBA
- Bibiano Fernandes vs. Gustavo Falciroli
- Andrei Arlovski vs. Tim Sylvia
- Jens Pulver vs. Eric Kelly
- Eduard Folayang vs Felipe Enomoto
- Gregor Gracie vs. Nicholas Mann
- Rolles Gracie vs. Tony Bonello
- Igor Gracie vs. Jung Hwan Cha
- Phil Baroni vs. Rodrigo Ribeiro
- Kevin Belingon vs Soo Chul Kim
- Mitch Chilson vs. Shannon Wiratchai
- Honorio Banario vs Andrew Benibe
April 8, 2013 at 4:35 pm
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April 8, 2013 at 11:25 pm
Nah, we only have this site for now. Do feel free to check out our other articles or e-mail us. Thanks for the support bro.
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