Ask former ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang who he wants to face next and it’ll take only seconds for the Filipino to respond.
Though not a man who dwells on the past, Folayang would love to settle the score against one guy he almost beat.
“It’s definitely Eddie Alvarez,” Folayang said. “I want to face him again.”
Folayang crossed paths with “The Underground King” Eddie Alvarez in the semifinals of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix last year at ONE: DAWN OF HEROES in the Filipino’s own backyard.
Buoyed by the capacity crowd at the Mall Of Asia Arena, the Team Lakay star struck hard in the early stages of the match— vicious leg kick sent Alvarez to the ground.
But that turned out to be the beginning of the end for “Landslide.”
Alvarez used Folayang’s momentum against him, sweeping the 36-year-old and eventually locking on a rear-naked choke to complete the come-from-behind first-round win.
“Back in our match I had a lot of regrets,” Folayang said. “I made a lot of mistakes that I want to get back from the last time we fought each other.
“If given the chance, then I believe my performance (next time) would be a whole lot better.”
Not one to make excuses, Folayang gave Alvarez the credit he deserves for storming back from adversity. He also admitted that he could’ve been more careful after knocking Alvarez down.
But if they meet again, “Landslide” vows to do everything to even the score against the American powerhouse.
“I definitely got careless in that match. We expected Eddie to be more of a striker, so I was confident when the match hit the ground,” he said.
“If there would be a rematch, I’d address my issues on the ground and hopefully I’ll be better next time around.”
ONE Championship returns to live action with ONE: NO SURRENDER, an audience-free, closed-door event in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, 31 July. Download the ONE Super App to catch it for free.