Eduard
Folayang: Battle scars and the road to redemption
by rick olivares
When you see Eduard Folayang up close
you will notice two things. One, he’s bulked up. Second, just above his right
eye is a scar that will forever serve as a reminder of a painful loss.
Cut to December 1, 2012 at the Mall of
Asia Arena for Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC): Dekada. Folayang
was up against relative unknown Hawaiian Lowen Tynanes. Folayang never got to
do anything as he was taken down twice where Tynanes’s wrestling skills wore
him out. Not even the exhortations of a pro-Folayang crowd could give him an
adrenaline injection. He was pinned helplessly to the ground by a much stronger
opponent. In an almost defenseless position, the URCC welterweight champion got
brutalized by a series of punches including one nasty elbow that opened him up
like a spigot.
The fight was stopped when the ringside
doctor and the match awarded to Tynanes that dropped Folayang’s record to 12-3.
In the midst of the onslaught,
Folayang knew he was getting beat. He had one thought, “Talunin niya ako wag
lang puso ko.”
In Mixed Martial Arts or its cousin in
boxing, some times, one loss can derail a career. “Ang importante ay buo pa rin
dapat ang loob ko. Hindi ka dapat napapaligiran ng mga negative. Marami naman
nagbigay ng encouragement sa akin after Dekada,” offered Folayang.
It will be one day short of six months
since Folayang lost and ironically he’ll be taking the One Fighting Championship
cage at the Mall of Asia Arena. He’s had six months to stew about his previous
match, put it in the back of his mind, and prepare for One FC: Rise to Power that
is expected to be a sell out.
Redemption.
Folayang nods at the one of his
personal goals for the fight. This is where he will see how good he really is
as a fighter. Can he bounce back and even become an even better fighter?
He did before after a loss to Muay
Thai kickboxer Ole Laursen in his One FC debut in War of the Lions in March of
2012.The Filipino lost in a split decision. He did make a remarkable comeback
in One FC: Pride of a Nation in August of that same year where he won in a
unanimous decision against Japanese Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter Felipe Enomoto.
Now he knows he not only has to get a
win but to go on a roll once more. “Mixed Martial Arts is on the rise pero
kailangan pa ng tulak,” he notes.
Once more, he’ll be up against another
wrestler, Iranian Kamal Shalorus (12-3-2) who is a Universal Fighting Championship
(UFC) vet. As good as he was in the World Extreme Cagefighting organization
before its eventual merger with UFC, Shalorus found the senior circuit more
difficult to hurdle. He lost all three of his UFC matches and was subsequently
dropped.
It isn’t only the wrestling skills of
Shalorus that Folayang has to worry about. Early in his career, the Iranian
(who carries a British passport but now lives in the United States), displayed
remarkable striking skills as well as impressive takedown offense and defense.
Folayang’s at his best when it’s a stand up fight, but as the lesson of the
Tynanes fight teaches, one has to constantly learn and develop new skills.
He says that he’s been working on his
ground game. The fight with Shalorus will be a test. “You have to learn sa mga
nangyayari sa ‘yo,” he says with conviction. “Ganyan talaga ang buhay. Laban
lang. Di ba mas masaya kapag na achieve mo yung inaasam mo?”
The scar above his right eye is a
reminder of a painful loss. But if he defeats Shalorus at One FC: Rise to
Power, it will just be another battle scar on his road to redemption.
Tickets for ONE FC: RISE TO POWER on 31 May are exclusively
available at Casino Filipino outlets nationwide. Refer to www.onefc.com/tickets
for details.
Fans from around the world can witness the action online via
live streaming at www.onefc.livesport.tv.
The first three undercard fights are available for viewing
free-of-charge and the main card fights will be available for purchase at just
US$9.99.
ONE FC:
RISE TO POWER is headlined by a ONE FC Featherweight World Championship
bout between reigning champion Honorio “The Rock” Banario against number one
contender Koji Oishi and pound-for-pound king Bibiano Fernandes taking on
Koetsu Okazaki for the ONE FC Bantamweight Interim Title. All the action
takes place live from the MOA Arena in Manila, Philippines.
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