ONE Championship: Eduard Folayang wants 'Sexyama' in another legend vs. legend bout

Eduard Folayang has always maintained that he’s a mixed martial arts fighter by profession, but that he also wouldn’t mind going back to his striking roots every once in a while.

The Filipino legend had a successful go-around in his ONE Super Series debut when he beat Australian kickboxing legend John Wayne Parr in a Muay Thai rules bout at ONE X two weeks ago.

The bout was Folayang’s first professional Muay Thai contest and as he did so well, the former ONE champ is already looking at either Sage Northcutt or Japanese legend Yoshihiro Akiyama as possible next opponents in the all-striking realm.

In his post-fight interview, Eduard Folayang said of a potential clash with Northcutt:

“I think it will be a good fight. It’s a win-win situation for us. He [Sage Northcutt] is a striker, a karate champion. On the other hand, I’m from Wushu, and we’ll be fighting in a different world with Muay Thai rules. I think that is a good match for us. It will truly test our skills. I’m sure he loves a challenge and I see this one as entertaining.”

Folayang and Northcutt hold black belts in Wushu and Shuri-ryū Karate, respectively, and have successfully integrated their base striking styles into MMA.

The two were originally slated to fight each other at ONE X. However, the American turned the bout down and the Team Lakay veteran was eventually pitted against Parr in ‘The Gunslinger’s retirement match.

Eduard Folayang eager for showdown with ‘Sexyama’

‘Landslide’ is no stranger to fighting Japanese legends. Folayang has already had three bouts with former ONE lightweight world champion Shinya Aoki, two of which were for the belt.

However, another Japanese icon Folayang wants is Akiyama, the same man who beat Aoki at ONE X.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Eduard Folayang said he is willing to feature in another legend vs. legend match sometime in the near future.

Folayang said that the way ‘Sexyama’ beat Aoki was reminiscent of his first fight against ‘Tobikan Judan’ in November 2016, when he started his first of two reigns with the ONE lightweight world title.

“Maybe we can bring in Akiyama. He really performed well against Shinya. It’s [almost] identical to the way I beat Shinya. I think this is a good match to make. We were supposed to face each other before but it got canceled. If it happens, it will definitely be explosive. The crowd will definitely be on their feet,” said Folayang.

Folayang added that he’s admired how the 46-year-old Akiyama could still operate at the highest level.

“Akiyama is someone I really look up to considering his longevity. He’s been here a long time. Maybe we can put on a legend-versus-legend two. We’re done with legend-versus-legend one, so let’s do this.”

If a Folayang vs. 'Sexyama' bout comes to fruition, fans will certainly be in for an entertaining affair.