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Folayang guns for One lightweight title against Japanese champ

One Championship (file photo)
By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Filipino MMA hero Eduard Folayang gets a shot for a One Championship title as he takes on defending lightweight holder Shinya Aoki in the main event of One: Defending Honor at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Nov. 11.

As announced on Tuesday, Aoki will stake his One lightweight belt against Folayang in the headliner of the said fight card.

“Filipino fight fans have been waiting a long time for this one.... [Folayang] is deserving of a title shot," said One president Victor Cui on finally giving the Baguio native the green light to vie for all the marbles.

“I am at the peak of my abilities as a fighter. All the hard work I have put into training has finally started to pay off and I am challenging the great champion Aoki. It will be an honor to share the cage with him, but I feel I have the skills to pull off an upset. I will fight for the honor of my country and the people of the Philippines who will be in my corner on fight night,” said Folayang, on the other hand.

Describing his showdown with Folayang, Aoki said, "This is the first time I will be fighting a strong Filipino warrior. I am excited to test my skills against a fighter representing the Philippines. Eduard Folayang is a great competitor with solid all-around skills. It should be an exciting match-up.”

The undercard matches for the said clash will be announced at a later date.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno