Eduard Folayang banks on kickboxing pedigree ahead of John Wayne Parr showdown

Former ONE lightweight world champion Eduard Folayang will be leaning on his kickboxing experience when he takes on Muay Thai legend John Wayne Parr at ONE: X on March 26 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The 38-year-old Folayang, who is 22-12 as a professional mixed martial artist, has not competed in an all striking match for more than a decade. Be that as it may, Team Lakay's head coach is confident heading to their fight against Parr.

"Maybe you don't know yet, but Eduard's first sport was kickboxing before going to wushu," Sangiao said.

"He added more skills to become an MMA fighter, but he became a two-time world champion because of his kickboxing and wushu base. We learned a lot from our ten years as a coach at ONE Championship, not only in building relationships but also in the knowledge around the sport."

According to Folayang, the team negotiated for a kickboxing match with the former Muay Thai world champion to even the odds but was not given a go by the promotion. Though Folayang will compete at Parr's expertise, Sangiao believes that they have the tools to win on fight night.

"We always find ways to improve, whether it's in our facilities or our fighter's initiative to find therapies or nutrition tips that will help them become better. The willingness to learn and improve will always be there," Sangiao said.

—MGP, GMA News