THE trilogy is set.
Eduard "Landslide" Folayang is set to take on longtime rival Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki for a third time after late changes to the ONE on TNT 4 card in Singapore.
ONE Championship announced the April 28 fight on Tuesday and the two fighters are understandably excited to put a fitting end to a trilogy.
"This will be a monumental test for me," said Folayang, who was set to meet Korean-Japanese legend Yoshihiro "Sexyama" Akiyama in the same card until the fight was scrapped due to the latter's bicep tear.
"It’s a sudden change of our preparation, but I’m a professional athlete, so I have to be prepared for anything, at any given time. I have to be ready to calibrate for what will be served for that perfect aim.
"I am not a pessimistic person, and I’m a warrior. Naturally, I’m not expecting to lose, but to get the big victory this time," Folayang added.
Aoki echoed his rival's sentiments.
"This is the last event of the 'ONE on TNT' series, so it’s meant to be, and it’s going to be a great one for fans. A lot of people have been waiting for this trilogy with Folayang."
Folayang (22-10) first met Aoki (46-9, 1 NC) at ONE: Defending Honor in November 2016 where he scored a third-round technical knockout to wrest his first ONE Lightweight World Championship.
The Japanese got back at the Filipino warrior three years later, choking him out in the first round of their match at ONE: A New Era back in March 2019.
The third fight was two years in the making and only got the green light after their respective foes pulled out from the event. Aoki was set to face Sage Northcutt, but he was forced to withdraw from the event due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
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