Antonio “The Spartan” Caruso believes he will bring something new to the table when he takes on Eduard “Landslide” Folayang.
The pair of exciting lightweights will collide when ONE Championship holds its biggest show of the year – ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX – this Friday, October 30, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
With 31 bouts to his name, Folayang may be entering the match as the more experienced of the two, but the Australian is confident that he will present Folayang with new problems when they square off.
“What I bring to the table that he has not seen before is me. He has never fought me, never faced me, and never fought anyone like me before,” Caruso said.
“He’s seen boxers, kickboxers, wrestlers, jiu-jitsu (experts), but he has never fought me, Antonio the Spartan.”
Caruso believes that one of his advantages is his familiarity with the Filipino martial arts icon.
Not only does Folayang have a collection of nearly all his bouts online, but Caruso also trains at Sanford MMA Gym with ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen, a man who holds a win over Folayang.
“It’s massive. I’ve been watching Eduard for a long time. I’ve watched many of his fights live. I’ve watched them on TV,” he said.
“And also to have someone who has fought Eduard and beaten Eduard, I feel like I have a lot of information about Eduard already, so that prepares me very much for this fight.”
However, Caruso knows that he could potentially be meeting a man very different from who he’s seen during his research.
“At the end of the day, on October 30th, he’s coming in a different person, and I got to fight that guy on October 30 – not [the guy who] fought Martin. I’m going to fight him and I’m totally ready and prepared for that day.”
While Caruso is hellbent on using Folayang as a springboard to the top of the division, “The Spartan” insists that it’s nothing personal.
“Eduard, it’s going to be an honor to fight you. It’s all business, and I can’t wait to face a legend like yourself,” Caruso said.
“Unfortunately, it’s going to be the old lion versus the young lion, and I’m ready to take what’s mine.
“I hope the best Eduard Folayang comes to fight and I can’t wait to do it.”
Watch ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX next Friday, 30 October, live on One Sports+ or the ONE Super App at 8:30 p.m. Philippine Standard Time (PHT). One Sports will air the event on a same-day delay at 9 p.m. PHT.
Additionally, TV5 will air the event on a next-day delay at 11 p.m. PHT on Saturday, 31 October.