Shinya Aoki visits Baguio City, trains with Team Lakay

Former ONE lightweight world champion Shinya Aoki has traveled from Japan to the mountains of Baguio to meet up with his friend and ex-rival Eduard Folayang and to train with Team Lakay.

Aoki, one of the most decorated fighters in Asian mixed martial arts history, is most remembered by Filipino fight fans for having three fights with former ONE lightweight world champion Eduard Folayang.

The pair first met inside the cage in 2016 where the Filipino emerged victorious by way of technical knockout that made him a ONE world titleholder. They fought two more times after which the Japanese mixed martial arts legend won both by submission in round one.

“I will be meeting a former rival but we became friends. He exerted a lot of effort to come here to the city of Baguio to visit me and train with Team Lakay,” said Folayang.

“We will show him how Filipinos treat their visitors with warm hospitality. We will have training and roam, let him taste the local delicacies of the highlands and the Philippines.”

Known for his mastery of jiu-jitsu, Aoki went on to share some of his knowledge on the art of grappling to Team Lakay fighters including former ONE strawweight world champion Joshua Pacio, former ONE bantamweight world champion Kevin Belingon, former ONE featherweight world champion Honorio Banario, Danny Kingad, and Lito Adiwang.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News