THE end came abruptly.
Eduard Folayang’s title run in One Championship came to an end Friday evening after suffering a knock out with 2:20 remaining in the second round of their scheduled five round encounter with Martin Nguyen in front of a stunned audience at the mall of Asia Arena.
After plastering each other with hard strikes in the first round, both men picked up where they left off in the second stanza, when Folayang and Nguyen continued to trade heavy blows at the center of the cage.
When Folayang launched his patented spinning backfist, Nguyen saw an opportunity to turn the lights off on his Filipino foe by uncorking explosive signature right hand.
Prior to Friday’s fight night, Folayang was highly touted to retain his One lightweight world title against Nguyen who holds the featherweight strap.
Nguyen’s victory propelled him to become the promotion’s first two weight division champion.
Folayang’s defeat will be his sixth in 25 fights, and ended a four fight winning streak including a third round stoappage of former world champion Shinya Aoki in 2016 which cemented the Team Lakay’s legacy as the best MMA fighter in the country.
Despite the loss, fight fans remain upbeat of Folayang’s uncertain return inside the One Championship cage.
“Coach and my brother Eduard, you’ve always carried the Philippine flag with pride and honor. You always show professionalism, athleticism and always a role model to everyone. Another chapter of your life and time to get back to the grind, get ready for that rematch. And what is more important for your family and everyone, is that you’re okay,” wrote MMA and Team Lakay supporter Benjo Andya wrote on his wall.
The title match defeat also saw Danny Kingad, who was sharing the co-main event spotlight, falling to Adriano Moraes in a their flyweight championship showdown via a rear naked choke in the first round.
Moraes put on a masterful performance, pacifying Kingad’s striking advantage in the early going as the Brazilian grappling expert utilized his high-level ground game.
On the mat, Moraes executed a forceful transition into a rear-naked choke that left Kingad no choice but to submit in the final seconds of the round to retain his flyweight world championship. (Roderick Osis)