Eduard Folayang during his Lightweight MMA match against Edson Marquez of Brazil for ONE Championship held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on December 3, 2022. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File.
MANILA -- Eduard Folayang's goal of winning championships has not changed even after he left the famed Team Lakay camp to form his own stable, Lions Nation MMA.
Indeed, his target has only grown as he is motivated to help other Filipino fighters reach the pinnacle of their sport.
"'Yung goal natin is to create more champions especially sa Pilipinas na palaki ng palaki yung market sa MMA," said Folayang. "Ang daming nagkaka-interes na bata and sayang naman kung di natin sila matuturuan. Luckily naman, we got teammates to join our mission and ito na, start na yung mission and representation namin."
With Folayang leading the charge, Lions Nation MMA is looking to deliver a massive statement this weekend.
Folayang takes on Amir Khan this Saturday at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham at Singapore Indoor Stadium. The night before, Jenelyn "The Graceful" Olsim will take on Jihin "Shadow Cat" Radzuan at ONE Friday Fights 35.
"We're hoping na maibigay namin yung best namin sa upcoming fight ng Lions Nation dito sa ONE," the Filipino MMA legend said.
Folayang insists that he is not overwhelmed by the additional responsibilities and is more eager than ever to show that there's plenty left in his tank.
"Sa akin, normal naman yung pressure lalo na gusto kong makabawi and ipakita na there’s still more in me," he said. "At the end of the day, yung gusto natin ipakita dito yung best natin sa upcoming fight natin."