With ONE X just less than three weeks away, two of the four Filipino representatives in ONE Championship's tenth-anniversary event shared their thoughts regarding their upcoming fights.
Joined by Team Lakay coach Mark Sangiao, former ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard "Landslide" Folayang and strawweight contender Lito "Thunder Kid" Adiwang attended the ONE X Media Day at Novotel Manila on 5 March.
A legend in his own right, Folayang will face fellow combat sports legend John Wayne "The Gunslinger" Parr in a Muay Thai rules match. This fight will be the last of Parr's storied career. This faceoff is making the two-time world champion incredibly proud of the opportunity.
"Fighting a legend before he retires is a big honor because he has been a Muay Thai champion at different divisions," Folayang said.
While "the art of eight limbs" is a relatively new discipline for the 38-year-old competitor, he welcomes the opportunity to tackle a new discipline.
"I enjoy the challenge as a martial artist. The bigger the challenge, the more we are being pushed, and we see what we need to prepare for," Folayang said. "I will be fighting him on his own territory. We'll see how fast we can adjust in fighting Parr in his sport."
He also reflected on being the only fighter who has been with The Home of Martial Arts throughout its first decade. Folayang competed in ONE's first offering, ONE: CHAMPION VS. CHAMPION, versus A-Sol Kwon in September 2011.
"I'm so happy to be part of ONE X. After a decade, I'm still here. It means that I really took care of myself to stay physically fit," he added.
Meanwhile, Adiwang will face compatriot Jeremy "The Jaguar" Miado inside the Circle on 26 March at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
"We'll look at it in a positive way. We're fighting in the biggest event of ONE," Adiwang said. "But we have to respect the sport and give it our best to show the talent of the Filipino fighters."
"Thunder Kid" did not keep his motivation coming into this bout a secret.
"I am very motivated,” he added. “I want to get back in the top-five (strawweight) rankings. I know that I belong in that top five, and I will do everything to return there."
Finally, Sangiao already knows Adiwang's advantage over Miado but is keeping it a secret.
"We won't say the specifics because we are still preparing for the fight. But we'll talk about the game plan and how to execute it well," the Team Lakay mentor said.
On the other hand, Sangiao is confident that Folayang will do well against Parr, given the fighter's striking background.
"Maybe you don't know yet, but Eduard's first sport was kickboxing before going to wushu. He added more skills to become an MMA fighter, but he became a two-time world champion because of his kickboxing and wushu base," he said.
The former MMA fighter and current coach also looked back on his gym's growth throughout ONE Championship's first ten years. But as the promotion ventures into its next decade, Team Lakay is just getting started, especially after a pandemic that prompted them to adjust their training routine.
"We learned a lot from our ten years as a coach at ONE Championship, not only in building relationships but also in the knowledge around the sport," Sangiao said.
"We always find ways to improve, whether it's in our facilities or our fighter's initiative to find therapies or nutrition tips that will help them become better. The willingness to learn and improve will always be there."
Download the ONE Super App and visit ONEFC.com to stay updated on the latest news about ONE: LIGHTS OUT, happening on 11 March, and ONE X on 26 March.