Eduard Folayang expects Demetrious Johnson to employ "a different strategy" against Adriano Moraes

Former ONE lightweight world champion Eduard Folayang believes MMA fans will see a different version of Demetrious Johnson at ONE on Prime Video 1 on August 26th.

'Mighty Mouse’ is anxious to avenge his only knockout loss to Adriano Moraes, and this time, he may approach things a little differently. Folayang also believes it would be in his best interest to make those adjustments if he intends to beat Moraes and capture the crown.

The Filipino icon gave his perspective on their highly anticipated rematch but remains divided on who the ultimate winner will be.

He told ONE Championship:

“This is a good fight to look into, especially that a lot of fans in the MMA community were not expecting that Adriano was going to win the first one. Of course this is going to be a good fight for both fighters.”

“Johnson is a cerebral fighter for sure he’ll change his game plan for Mikinho and Mikinho is good in making adjustments, so for sure this is gonna be a good fight. But I also think it could go either way. It’s hard to pick a winner as they are both good.”

Adriano Moraes and Demetrious Johnson are coming off epic knockout victories over the last year, so it’s very difficult to say with confidence which fighter will come out on top. Folayang believes if Johnson plays his cards right and drags out the competitive nature of Moraes, the momentum could swing in his favor.

The 37-year-old veteran added:

“I think DJ will have a different strategy compared to the first fight. If Moraes is overconfident, it could be his downfall.”

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Eduard Folayang wants a future MMA showdown with Japanese legend Yoshihiro ‘Sexyama’ Akiyama

Eduard Folayang wants another action-packed “legend versus legend” firefight, and he wants Japanese icon Yoshihiro ‘Sexyama’ Akiyama to be next.

After a victorious decision-win against 46-year-old kickboxing legend John Wayne Parr this past March, Folayang has developed a keen interest in participating in another showdown of the same caliber.

‘Sexyama’ fought Shinya Aoki on the same bill at ONE X in an equally entertaining bout that saw the two Japanese legends clash for ultimate glory.

Knowing that ‘Sexyama’ won’t turn down a fight against him, Eduard Folayang hopes ONE Championship can make that happen.

He told SCMP MMA:

“I think it will really be a great fight when they match that up in MMA because we have the very same – identical – way of finishing Shinya. If that fight happens, I’ll be very happy. Legend versus legend, part two.”