Eduard Folayang reflects on submission loss to Shinya Aoki

Eduard Folayang took a moment to reflect what went wrong in his rematch against Japanese grappling wizard Shinya Aoki in the main event of ONE: A New Era last Sunday at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.

Folayang, who has never tapped in his career prior to his rematch with Aoki, lost his ONE lightweight world title to the hometown hero by way of first-round submission. He admits his shortcomings in his latest bout, and also acknowledged Aoki's handiwork.

"It was not my night. I also had an error on my part. I knew he would not waste the chance if he had to the opportunity to take me down," said Folayang.

"I rushed to escape and he capitalized on that. I knew what submission he was trying to do. His grip was tight and he refused to let go."

The Baguio native also believes that his team came up with an outstanding game plan, but concedes that it was Aoki who was more efficient in executing the strategy inside the cage.

"We had a good plan ourselves. We wanted him to gain confidence in his striking, but he reverted back to grappling the moment he got hit," Folayang said.

"It was his night. This is a lesson that being a champion does not mean that we can afford to be complacent."

Folayang also took notice that Aoki was able to draw inspiration from his countrymen in Japan. He genuinely believes that the crowd played a factor last Sunday, and commended how Aoki used it to his advantage instead of feeling pressure.

"He had an added confidence with the fight being in Tokyo," he quipped.

"Like I said before, he either gets confidence or he feels pressure fighting in front of his hometown crowd."

Folayang will not be coming home to the Philippines with the gold-plated strap around his waist, but he is in high spirits and would rather charge the heartbreaking defeat to experience.

"It is a matter of life learning. That's just life." — BAP, GMA News