SHINYA "Tobikan Judan" Aoki actually had the same thing Eduard "Landslide" Folayang had in mind and believed that this isn't the end of the rivalry between the former One lightweight champions.
"I said let’s fight again a couple of years later," the Japanese grappler said after submitting his Filipino rival with an armbar in the first round of their fight at ONE on TNT 4 on Thursday in Singapore.
Folayang drew first blood in their first match in November 2016 in Singapore with a third round technical knockout to win the lighweight title before Aoki got his redemption in March 2019 with a first-round stoppage to reclaim the belt.
This third fight almost didn't happen, made on short notice after both of their opponents had to pull out from the card.
Yoshihiro "Sexyama" Akiyama, who was Folayang's original opponent, suffered a bicep tear. Meanwhile, "Super" Sage Northcutt tested positive for COVID-19 which prevented him from facing Aoki.
Without any foes to face, the stars aligned for this epic third duel between Folayang and Aoki.
Like their second match, Aoki dominated the fight as he successfully took the match to the ground that set him up for the submission finish.
But he reiterated that he holds Folayang in such high regard.
"I still felt fear going into this fight. Even if it’s not Eduard, whenever I fight anyone, I always feel fear cause you never know what’s gonna happen,' he said.
"I thought it was going to be a harder, more tough fight against Eduard, but my ground control went well and my elbows dropped in and I think that’s the point that favored me."
Aoki, who is 37 and the same age as his rival, knows the situation Folayang is in with the usual clamor for his retirement.
The Japanese fighter, however, voiced support for his longtime foe and thinks that Folayang still has a lot left in his tank.
"I still want Eduard to keep on fighting," he said.
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