Shinya Aoki was not expecting a showdown with Edward “The Landslide” Folayang.
But everything changed for Aoki after his would-be opponent Japanese-Korean mixed martial art fighter Yushihiro Akiyama suffered an injury and another replacement, American bet Sage Northcutt got pulled out because he contracted COVID-19.
A win in his bout with Folayang on April 29 will give Aoki a chance to call out Christian Lee for a welterweight encounter.
The 37-year-old Aoki said this is what he will be waiting for once he’s done with Folayang.
“I am not looking at Christian’s belt (at the moment). I just want to continuously fight and enjoy the moment,” said Aoki.
Aoki, who has a 46-9 win-loss card, is looking for a fourth straight win when he confronts Folayang in ONE on TNT IV.
Folayang, who is of the same age at 37 with Aoki, is taking extra care not to make same mistakes he did during his last two fights in the One Championship.
The Team Lakay stalward is seeking redemption after two straight setbacks, first at the hands of Peter Buist via split decision in January last year and then to Antonio Caruso via unanimous decision last October. The losses proved to be a wakeup call for Folayang.
In his last bout last January, Aoki took down by submission via rear-naked chokehold his One: Unbreakable foe in James Nakashima in the 2:42 of the first round in Singapore.
Aoki said that Lee has gotten better in his last two fights but he is confident that he can keep up if he gets the chance.
But he has to hurdle Folayang first to cap their trilogy on a high note.
Folayang defeated Aoki during the ONE: Defending Honor on November 11, 2016, before the Japanese got his revenge on his home soil during ONE: A New Era via a first-round submission on March 31, 2019.