Former ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang is proud of how things turned out for Team Lakay.
Just over a decade old, the team has produced four World Titleholders in ONE Championship and is one of the major reasons for the rise of Philippine mixed martial arts.
Now the successful group of veteran athletes is passing the torch to the next generation of hungry martial artists.
“The visions we had then, when we were just building this [gym], are slowly being fulfilled,” Folayang said. “We do not want it to stop with us. We want people to continue and we’re seeing it now.”
Among those who have emerged as the flag bearers for Team Lakay are ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio, second-ranked Flyweight Danny “The King” Kingad, and fifth-ranked strawweight Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang, all of whom are in their prime and no older than 27.
“Looking at these warriors, man you can really see their potential – and that excites me,” Folayang said.
“It’s exciting to see how far they’ll go as athletes. On their potential alone, I know they will go a long way.”
Given their athletic ability and in-ring prowess, “Landslide” believes these athletes are ready to take the Circle with or without his guidance.
However, outside of it, he has some advice for his younger brothers and sisters.
“I always remind them that once you start being known, you’ll get a certain amount of influence over people, and I want them to use it to do great things and inspire more,” Folayang said.
“Humility is also very important to an athlete. I don’t want them to stop being hungry. I want them to always work on their skills and add new dimensions to their game. That’s the key to longevity.”
ONE returns to action with ONE: NO SURRENDER, a closed-door, audience-free show set for Friday, 31 July, in Bangkok, Thailand. Catch the action for free by downloading the ONE Super App.