SHINYA Aoki trained at the Team Lakay gym, fueling talk about a fourth match with Eduard Folayang.
The former One lightweight champion spent nearly a week in Benguet Province, training and unwinding with Folayang and the rest of the Team Lakay squad.
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Aoki also trained on the mountain trails and got to taste local food like dinakdakan, pinikpikan, and pak-pako.
“When I visited the Philippines in 2018, I didn’t realise that food is nice here. In the past few days, I had a lot of good food,” Aoki said.
“Maybe it’s because the people who bring me [out] to eat are nice, so I can enjoy eating here. Also, people here are really kind and nice. Maybe Manila is too busy, but the countryside has slower life so people seem nicer.”
Considered one of Folayang’s biggest rivals in mixed martial arts, Aoki bared that they have had an excellent relationship even after their second match in Japan.
“I believe that we didn’t hate each other before our third match. I am so grateful that he accepted the second match. It was at a Japan event, and I really appreciate him. I feel he’s my real fellow fighter,” he said.
The two have yet to call it quits in their respective careers.
Folayang is adamant he still has what it takes to compete, and so has Aoki. So, is a fourth match between the rivals-turned-friends still possible?
“In my mind, I think we’ll have one more match,” Aoki said. “But at the end of the day, it also depends on the fans if they want to see the fight, right?”
“Maybe for Japanese audiences, our fourth match isn’t so meaningful, but if we do [it] in Manila, it has different meanings. We fought two times in Singapore and one time in Japan. So, I think the next match should be in Manila, to be fair.”
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