Folayang vows KO win versus Alvarez

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino Edward Folayang lost his last match to Japanese grappling legend Shinya Aoki last March that cost him the ONE lightweight title. The first step to get in line for a crack to reclaim the crown is to beat his next opponent by knockout.

Folayang vows to accomplish that when he faces former Ultimate Fighting Championship star Eddie Alvarez in an explosive showdown in the ONE: Dawn of Heroes on Aug. 2 at the MOA Arena in Pasay City.

“A knockout and submission will always be there if you are in the proper position – that is a given. I think it will end in a knockout,” said Folayang.

While the climb back to the top is not easy, Folayang, who has held the belt twice, said he will not stop until he gets there.

“My journey as a world champion is like a roller coaster. There are times when I am a world champion and people look up to me. There are also times when I am defeated, so I will try again to climb the ladder to get the belt back,” said Folayang.

“I got it, but lost it again. I think the most challenging part is how to get yourself back on the winning track. We are going to start again. That is not something new to us,” he added.

Folayang said the key is to embracing change and continue improving.

“One of the things that I learned in my career so far is to never stop learning and improving as much as possible because you should realize that everyone is aiming to become a (world) champion,” said Folayang.