Eduard Folayang faces Shozo “Great Teacher” Isojima in a lightweight MMA bout at The Inner Circle 21, streaming live for members in Asia primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, July 10. The 28-year-old Japanese contender arrives hungry to build his global name. Folayang arrives with something more personal on his mind.
The former three-time ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion has gone 1-4 in his last five outings. He is not carrying that record as a burden so much as a diagnostic tool. This fight will tell him what he needs to know about where he stands.
“I see all this as a big challenge. Of course, some people are pointing out my age. But for me, I look at this fight as a good test to decide which direction I’m going to go,” he said.
“If I’m leaving fighting, or if I can still pull something out of the potential that remains in me.”
Eduard Folayang seeks to inspire
Eduard Folayang built Lions Nation MMA in Baguio City after leaving Team Lakay in 2023, and the gym has become the engine of his daily purpose. He is already coaching the next generation while still competing himself, and the two roles have sharpened his thinking about what he wants to leave behind.
His legacy in ONE Championship is not a future ambition. It is a present fact. What drives him now is its continuation through every Filipino fighter who follows the path he helped build.
“If anything, I just want to see more Filipinos who are talented in this sport get their opportunities. I want to be an inspiration for them to chase the same dreams,” he said.
“I want the sport to continue and be able to inspire others to become better fighters and unleash their greatness.”
