THERE’S something about a trilogy that makes for great spectating. The third encounter of an ongoing battle that stands at 1-1 is downright exciting because it decides the ultimate victor in a perfect tug-of-war.
After the third match of an even battle, there’s nothing more to prove. Should the encounter be extended to a Best of Five or a Best of Seven, that’s mostly just to lengthen the series so both opponents can get second or third chances. The magnitude of forces are no longer as perfectly aligned as in a triangle. The winner of the Best of Three breaks the equilibrium and sends a powerful, definitive statement.
There have been many memorable trilogies in mixed martial arts that have pitted irresistible forces against each other. The Geje Eustaquio-Adriano Moraes One Championship trilogy comes to mind. As does Kevin Belingon-Bibiano Fernandez III. Even the girls want to star in a trilogy as well. China’s Xiong Jingnan wants a third shot against Angela Lee when the pandemic is over. Miesha Tate wants to prove something to Ronda Rousey when the lockdown ends.
As you’re reading this, another big-time ONE Championship trilogy is unfolding in Singapore. The third and most dramatic fight between old foes Shinya Aoki of Japan and our very own Team Lakay hero Eduard Folayang is happening at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The fight, however, is geared towards American audiences and will take place in this part of the world at around 9:30 to 10 a.m. PST. It is the fourth and last of a series of ONE Championship bouts on American television network TNT. Veteran champion fighter Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez describes the ONE TNT Series as “ONE’s Coming Out Party in America.”
Folayang-Aoki III is intensely interesting because, among all of the fights happening on the series, this one seems to have been decreed by the gods. Both Folayang and Aoki were to have faced different opponents in TNT IV. But their respective opponents had to bow out of the fight because of illness or injury.
Thus the beloved Filipino martial arts hero is on another dangerous mission against his old foe. Their fabled rivalry began in November 2016 when Folayang pulled the rug from under Aoki with a TKO victory at a time when Aoki was the reigning lightweight king. Folayang surprised the “baron of submission” with a flurry of kicks, wushu weaponry and a decisive hit on the solar plexus. As the Japanese reeled, Folayang took advantage and unleashed a hard knee to the head followed by rapid-fire punches. The fight was stopped and the Filipino ascended the lightweight throne.
It took Aoki two years and four months to face Folayang again, this time in front of a hometown crowd in Tokyo. On March 31, 2019 Aoki succeeded at doing what he does best. Humble his opponent to submission. Even as the Team Lakay stalwart succeeded at evading Aoki’s initial moves to bring him down well enough to summon his punches and leg kicks, Aoki was able to accomplish a body lock on the Pinoy champ, then ease him onto the canvas. There he delivered his kiss of death: an arm-triangle choke that left “The Landslide” unconscious in Round One. Folayang, Aoki, one-one.
Now they meet again. The be-spectacled, low-key Japanese samurai whose looks and demeanor outside the Circle belie his ferocity and heartless tactics inside is in a head-on collision with the rock-solid former high school teacher whose golden virtue is humility but whose incredible striking skills are as proud and cruel as a rain of poisoned javelins on an advancing army.
Aoki said he is super motivated for Folayang-Aoki III. “I think this fight has a lot of meaning. It’s fate that we meet again. As always, I will fight anyone, because I am a proud wrestler and fighter.” The man whose Japanese nickname is “Tobikan Judan,” meaning “grandmaster of flying submissions” once said: “I have trained my whole life to master submission holds, and I continue [my training] to this day. When competing in the cage, I am constantly looking for an opportunity to apply a submission. If my opponent makes the slightest mistake and gives me an opening, I will finish him.”
True to his character and demeanor, Eduard Folayang is humble, soft-spoken and philosophical. “I have prepared well and have made the adjustments. I think we have perfected our defense and am now embracing the other aspects of the sport. This fight is really intended to go and it is the right time for us to meet. My greatest motivation is my faith in God and the strength and protection that He gives me. In this fight, I am the underdog and I like being the underdog. There are less expectations for me to win and it gives me greater motivation.”
“This is definitely one of the most important fights of my career,” he admits. “I am up against a legend of the sport. But I know that as a warrior and as an athlete I have power over circumstances. I want to leave a legacy for younger Filipino fighters.”
The fighting in the Circle for Folayang-Aoki III may be intense and ferocious, but underneath all that there is mutual respect. Aoki thinks Folayang is one of the best fighters he has fought against. The warrior from the Cordilleras acknowledges his rival’s legendary status in the sport they both love.
If you missed “ONE on TNT TV” on One Sports at 8:30 a.m. today, both One Sports and One Sports+ will re-air the fight on Friday, April 30 at 8:30 p.m. You can also catch it at midnight (12 a.m.) on Sunday, May 2 on TV5. Enjoy.