Folayang-Akiyama set for One on TNT 4

Eduard Folayang will be part of One on TNT 4. Rick Dela Cruz (file photo)

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Eduard Folayang will be making his first match for 2021 in front of a massive American audience as Team Lakay confirmed on Saturday that he will fight in One on TNT 4.

Folayang, arguably the most decorated Filipino mixed martial arts fighter ever, will take on Japanese pugilist Yoshihiro Akiyama on April 29 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium to be televised on TNT in the United States.

Folayang (22-10) looks to bounce back from back-to-back losses last year against Pieter Buist and Antonio Caruso.

The former two-time One lightweight champ also hopes to regain his winning touch after losing four of his last five fights since 2019 which led to fan speculations on whether they have seen the last of him in an MMA cage.

The 37-year-old Folayang has been insisting in his recent interviews that he is not yet retiring, and he is out to prove that he still has what it takes to compete in the One Championship circle.

Meanwhile, Akiyama, a former Asian Games gold medal winning judoka, is also an MMA veteran, competing in K-1, Dream FC, and UFC prior to joining One Championship.

He was a headliner for UFC 120 in London on Oct. 17, 2010 (Philippine Time), but he lost to Michael Bisping.

Like Folayang, the 45-year-old Akiyama (15-7) is also looking to regain his old ways that made him a K-1 star as he tries to build a winning streak following his victory over Sherif Mohamed at One: King of the Jungle on Feb. 28, 2020.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno