ONE: Legends of the World - Folayang vs Nguyen: A Battle Between Two Friends

ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD City Skyline Face-Off, Oct. 10, 2017
Eduard “Landslide” Folayang vs Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen

What do you get when you pit the reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang against the newly-crowned ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen?

A phenomenal fight is what you will have, probably the greatest fight in ONE Championship this year. Dubbed as "ONE: Legends of the World", this rare encounter will happen as the main event on November 10, 2017 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Philippines. Two world-class fighters, both respecting eachother, both champions in their respective weight divisions, and both wanting the chance to be legends in their own right will enter the octagon not as friends but as fierce combatants.

ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen

Nguyen, who is Vietnamese and fighting out of Sydney, Australia is looking to relinquish the lightweight championship belt from Folayang and be the first ever ONE Championship fighter to have two championship belts in two different weight divisions. Folayang on the other hand will be defending his title for the second time.

ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang

Eduard Folayang, ONE Lightweight World Champion, stated: “Martin [Nguyen] is a great martial artist and an amazing competitor. He has earned the highest degree of my respect. There is absolutely no chance that I am coming into this bout underestimating him. I am prepared for the best Martin Nguyen possible, one that has no weaknesses. This bout will be talked about long after it is finished, as two champions face-off inside the cage. I live for these challenges, and I am motivated for victory, for the pride and honor of the Philippines.”

Martin Nguyen, ONE Featherweight World Champion, stated: “I like Eduard [Folayang]. I said to myself I did not want to compete against someone I like and take away their glory, but opportunities like this do not come around too often. And, if I refused to do this, someone else was going to compete against him and take his glory. So it is strictly business. I am in a super bout for the first time ever in ONE Championship history to become a two-division champion. This match is not going to go the distance.”

Face-Off On Top of the World

City Garden Grand Hotel Roof Deck

Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of the legendary Team Lakay in Baguio City is one of the Philippines’ most experienced martial artists. After nearly a decade of competing in various promotions, Folayang has amassed an impressive 18-5 professional record. The 33-year-old veteran is currently riding a four-bout winning streak against high-profile opponents, including an emphatic technical knockout victory over Japanese legend Shinya Aoki to capture the ONE Lightweight World Championship in 2016. Showcasing a highly-improved wrestling and grappling arsenal, Folayang thoroughly defeated top challenger Ev Ting in his first title defense last April. Now set to return to the ONE Championship cage in Manila, Folayang will face ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin Nguyen in a cross-divisional showdown.

Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen is a highly-skilled finisher and one of the most talented featherweights in martial arts. In his most recent bout, 28-year old Nguyen stepped into the ONE Championship cage last August, scoring the biggest victory of his career when he stopped former undefeated featherweight champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov in Kuala Lumpur to capture the ONE Featherweight World Championship. Sporting a 9-1 professional record, Nguyen’s all-around skill set allows him to compete at the highest level of competition.

Both Folayang and Nguyen consider themselves as good friends, and hold the highest level of respect for one another. They both spent time travelling the United States together in a 2016 promotional tour following Folayang’s victory over Aoki. When asked how their friendship would affect the fight, Nguyen said, "I messaged him (Folayang) on Facebook and we both came to an agreement that we would put our friendship aside and make it strictly business....We are here to entertain the you guys (fans)...we will give you an entertaining fight."

See you at the Arena!

 For tickets to ONE: Legends of the World, please visit www.onefc.com, follow on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

Monch "Monchster" Henares is a blogger, tech and motoring specialist, inventor, and automotive engineer. He managed the motorpool for a limousine company in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. He is now based in Manila, Philippines.

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