Folayang in a must win fight to keep himself in title mix

Former ONE lightweight champion Eduard Folayang of Baguio City's Team Lakay knows all too well that he cannot afford to lose a single bout if he wants to keep himself in contention for another title run.

Folayang, who is coming from a dominant victory over previously unbeaten Kharun Atlangeriev, will face yet another undefeated foe in Aziz Pahrudinov (20-0-1) on the undercard of 'ONE: Reign of Kings' on July 27 at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

"I felt good in my last bout. Although, of course, I always feel like I could have done just a little better. I am always looking at how I can get better in every aspect. I feel like my wrestling and my grappling has reached a new level over the past few months," said Folayang.

"There’s a lot of room to improve, but little by little, I’ll get to where I need to be. Lightweight is one of the deepest divisions in the organization, and there are so many great guys all wanting to get to the top. I have to keep winning so I can stay in the mix."

Often touted as the face of Philippine MMA, Folayang (19-6), is also aware that his next opponent happens to be an aggressive well-rounded fighter.

He concedes that a difficult fight is ahead of him, and says the fans will be treated to an exciting contest come fight night.

"He (Pahrudinov) is another tough Russian opponent with the typical Russian style that is aggressive and calculated. He has great wrestling, solid striking and excellent all-around skills. It’s hard to face these kinds of fighters because you have to be on your toes the entire bout. Get too close, and there’s the threat of the take down. I will be prepared to face this style once again," told Folayang.

"I have to beat whoever is in front of me. That is the priority. Right now, it’s Pahrudinov. This is going to be a good, exciting fight and I am excited. I will do my best to keep every advantage and win. He doesn’t have many weaknesses, but I would like to test his striking. Let’s see if he can keep up with me on the feet." — BAP, GMA News