16 hours ago
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MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino ONE MMA world champions Joshua Pacio and Denice Zamboanga are backing compatriot Eduard Folayang in his return to action at ONE 172.
Folayang will be taking on Japanese Shinya Aoki in ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
And Pacio and Zamboanga are confident of Folayang’s chances in the rivals’ final matchup with each other.
"Eduard Folayang is a true legend in Philippine MMA, and I have so much respect for everything he has accomplished. He's been an inspiration to so many of us, showing what the true Filipino fighting spirit is," said Zamboanga, the current ONE interim atomweight MMA world champion.
"I'm rooting for him and praying for his victory,” Zamboanga added, "believing that his hard work and experience will pay off."
Pacio, for his part, also voiced full support for his teammate at Lions Nations MMA.
"Kuya Eduard has always been the one cornering me in all of those competitions, and now the roles are reversed and I'm excited that I will be the one to corner him in this rivalry match against Aoki."
"I strongly believe he's ready for this," Pacio added. “I've seen him prepared, I've seen him work hard. He's ready 100% physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, and through God's grace we will get the win."
After winning their first bout via TKO, “The Landslide lost his next two matches – both by submission – against Aoki.
This is Folayang’s return inside the ONE cage after winning via knockout against Amir Khan in September 2023.
Aoki, on the other hand, is coming off a submission loss against Cole Abate December last year.
