FILIPINO mixed martial arts (MMA) icon Eduard Folayang looks to end his losing skid as he takes on Chinese veteran Zhang Lipeng in the main event of ONE Championship – “Battleground II” Friday, Aug. 13, 2021, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.
The 37-year-old Folayang is currently on a three-fight slump and has lost five of his last six fights since 2019.
Folayang is coming off a first round armbar submission loss to his nemesis, Japanese legend Shinya Aoki, in their trilogy on April 29, 2021.
Folayang is one of the longest tenured fighters in ONE Championship. He was there in ONE’s first ever show in 2011, wherein he beat South Korean A-Sol Kwon by unanimous decision.
Folayang has fought the cream of the crop of the lightweight division in ONE Championship. He fought the likes of Aoki, Eddie Alvarez, Martin Nguyen, Timofey Nastyukhin and Kamal Shalorus.
Folayang won the ONE lightweight belt after a shocking third round knockout over Aoki in 2016.
Zhang should be a tough fight for Folayang because the 31-year-old Chinese is a very experienced fighter.
Zhang is the winner of The Ultimate Fighter China after he beat Wang Sai by split decision in 2014. He then went on to fight three times in the UFC before being cut after back-to-back defeats. He beat Brendan O’Reilly by unanimous decision and lost to Chris Wade and Kajan Johnson both by unanimous decision.
After his stint in the UFC, Zhang fought mostly in China-based Kunlun Fight and went on an impressive 21-2 run. His latest win was a submission win over Iranian upstart Mohammad Naeemi in 2019.
Folayang, who fights out of the dreaded Team Lakay, is 22-11, while Zhang is 30-11-2.