Filipino superstar Eduard Folayang feels he has unfinished business with Eddie Alvarez.
The two mixed martial arts legends squared off at ONE: Dawn of Heroes with Alvarez taking the first-round submission win in front of a stunned Filipino crowd in August of 2019.
It was a match that perfectly displayed the strengths of the two fighters with Folayang raining down menacing strikes on the feet and Alvarez swooping in with his grappling.
Folayang said a rematch between him and Alvarez is indeed an intriguing prospect and he hopes that a second meeting between them could eventually happen sooner than later.
“Of course, that’s a great opportunity for me, it’s a great fight if that happens. It would be awesome if Alvarez vs. Folayang II does happen especially on my part. I really feel that I could’ve done something more in our previous fight.”
Folayang had the Mall of Asia crowd rocking in the first minute of the fight when he landed a brutal leg kick that sent the former Bellator and UFC lightweight champion to the mat.
Taking advantage of his downed opponent, Folayang proceeded to land a hellacious ground-and-pound on Alvarez.
Despite Folayang’s aggression, “The Underground King” managed to survive and eventually took top position. Alvarez then took Folayang’s back and slapped in a tight rear-naked choke to take the submission win 2:16 into the fight.
Folayang admitted that he made mistakes in his first fight against Alvarez, nevertheless, the former ONE Lightweight World Champion is eager to erase his errors.
“It wasn’t the outcome that I wanted. We all know that we all make mistakes in life. Even a small error could lead to disaster. That’s why I’m willing that Alvarez vs. Folayang II does happen,” said the Team Lakay elder.
The 38-year-old added he needs to undergo an intense training camp, harder than his previous ones if he eventually gets his rematch against the American legend.
“I feel that I have to drastically improve my striking and undergo an intense training camp if that fight with Eddie eventually happens,” said Folayang.
ONE Championship returns this July 22 with the stacked ONE 159: De Ridder vs. Bigdash which will be broadcast live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Just like any other fight fan, Folayang will be tuned in to ONE 159 especially with two title fights in the card.
Reinier de Ridder will defend the ONE Middleweight World Championship against former champion Vitaly Bigdash in the main event.
Striking superstars Janet Todd, the reigning ONE Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion, and Lara Fernandez will duke it out for the ONE Interim Atomweight Muay Thai World Title in the co-main event.
