PERHAPS one of the earliest examples of trash talk in sports dates back to John L. Sullivan, the first heavyweight champion of gloved pugilism. During his heyday in the 19th century, the "Boston Strong Boy" was known for proclaiming that he could “lick any son of a b**** in the house” with few willing or able to challenge his claim.
If you walk into a bar with that kind of bravado, you better be willing to slam down your beer glass, stand up from your stool, and back up your boast right then and there, lest you end up a metaphorical (and maybe even literal) punch line. Well, it’s my turn. No, really, let’s go. Excuse me while I take one last sip from my margarita glass. Sorry if I’m slow to get to my feet. I hurt my back this morning getting out of be-, er, lifting a heavy barbell off the floor. Ready? Okay. Here I go.
Eduard Folayang is the greatest homegrown Filipino mixed martial arts fighter of all time.
Come at me. Remember, the key word here is "homegrown," so fighters who are proud Pinoys but show a different passport at customs don’t count. Okay, so I’m hearing some knocking "Landslide" for never having fought in the UFC.
Fine. The UFC is and always has been the top echelon of MMA competition. But of the Filipinos who reached the summit, only a handful managed a victory inside the Octagon. None of them reached serious contender status. If a prime Allain Caidic managed 15 points in a single regular season NBA game, would that trump his numerous PBA championships and scoring records?
If you want to argue Joshua Pacio, I’m willing to listen. Like his mentor and stablemate, the 26-year-old strawweight is a two-time One champion who has beaten some noteworthy foes. But Pacio’s story is still being written. He may one day surpass Folayang’s spot atop our 7,000 islands—he has more than enough years to do so, and his evolution of the signature Team Lakay style suggests he can—but until then, he will have to let his older brother take the spotlight.
There have been other Filipino fighters who have racked up impressive accolades in regional organizations. But the stature of those those leagues falls short of the global organization that is One Championship. And none of those guys enjoy the raucous cheers that Folayang gets everytime he walks down the ramp.
At his best, Folayang was a whirling dervish of a fighter, capable of unleashing hellacious kicks and punches on any adversary unlucky enough to land in his crosshairs. His contests were must-see viewing, as fans knew he could light up like dynamite and end affairs at any moment. His perhaps brightest moment came in 2017, when he knocked out the wily Shinya Aoki to win the One lightweight crown.
But that was then. Since his last championship win in 2018, the 39-year-old has lost seven of his last eight MMA fights. His only victory in that stretch came via technical decision after an accidental clash of heads in 2019. He did, however, venture into Muay Thai rules and defeated legend ‘John’ Wayne Parr in the latter’s retirement bout. I’ll get to that.
Last Saturday, the losing streak continued as Folayang succumbed to Edson Marques at One on Prime Video 5 via second round technical knockout. Folayang cried early stoppage—and One Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong agreed—but the outcome further fueled the furor calling for his retirement.
Folayang quickly dispelled any notions of hanging up the gloves in the aftermath of the Marques fight. And so the warrior trudges on. What’s next for "Landslide"?
An immediate rematch?
In the post-fight press conference, Sityodtong remarked: “If [Folayang] doesn’t change his fighting style…I’m a little concerned, given where he is in his career.”
The Folayang we saw against Marques is the same legend from years past. The same warrior with the same ferocity, the same tenacity, the same jagged rhythm, and the same Wushu style that catapulted him to greatness.
The only problem is that it’s 2022, and after 35 professional fights, his opponents have seen more than enough of his fights to figure out his habits. The rangy Marques doesn’t possess Folayang’s explosiveness, but he stuck to a disciplined gameplan of choosing his shots while keeping the Filipino at bay. By the second round, the Brazilian had a good read of when Folayang would strike and with which limb.
It’s a tough ask for Folayang to overhaul 39 years of ingrained fighting habits. The newer generation of Team Lakay fighters, like the aforementioned Pacio, has developed new dimensions to the gym’s signature style. Folayang, meanwhile, has mostly stayed with what brought him to the dance.
A rematch against Marques would satiate his appetite for redemption, but it may not be the ideal move for Folayang or the fans to close out a legendary career.
I’m still standing here over at the bar. Anyone still listening? Anyway, here are my suggestions.
Special superfights
Tiebreaker Times reported following Folayang’s loss to Marques that old rival Shinya Aoki wants one more match against the Filipino. The 39-year-old Japanese submission specialist is currently 2-1 against Folayang and is also coming off a losing streak. Perhaps a fourth match would be a fitting swansong for both of them?
There are other aging fighters under One’s roster that Folayang could test himself against. Yoshihiro Akiyama, for example, might be 47 years old, but he looked mightily impressive in his knockout victory over Aoki earlier this year.
But if fans want a winnable fight against a young up-and-comer, Folayang has long been calling out for a match against Sage Northcutt. The 26-year-old American hasn’t fought since a vicious knockout loss in 2019. The appeal of a veteran versus rookie fight between two superstars would easily make this main card material.
One Super Series
In his victory against Wayne Parr, Folayang showed that he has a reasonable amount of fuel and horsepower left in his aging engine. Parr was shopworn and coming off hip surgery, but the old ‘Gunslinger’ still had plenty of pop as well.
Though the bout already had plenty of hype due to Parr’s imminent retirement, no context was needed to enjoy the back-and-forth brawl where both men poured every bit of their legends on the canvas. To think it was Folayang’s first striking-only match in over a decade.
And though Folayang’s grappling has improved leaps and bounds over the years, it has always been seen as his biggest weakness. It’s no secret that he has always preferred to strike, and it’s where he finds the most success in his MMA fights.
Special striking-only bouts under One Super Series rules, then, might be the perfect way for Folayang and fans to enjoy the twilight of his fighting career. Who wouldn’t want to see the Team Lakay style go up against the likewise aging but still dangerous Nieky Holzken? Or maybe a slugfest with the hard-hitting Cosmo Alexandre?
Regardless of what he chooses to do the next time he journeys down from the Cordilleras to do battle, Folayang’s impact on the sport and on fans will remain long after he decides to call it quits. He will surely miss the crowds at the SM Mall of Asia Arena who cheer loudest when his name is called, but the respect they heap upon him will echo into the record books.
And while the reserved Igorot has never been one to claim that he could lick every you-know-what in the house, there are still more than a handful of asses left for him to kick.
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