Eduard Folayang and Amir Khan during their initial faceoff. Handout photo
Singaporean Amir Khan plans to put on the performance of a lifetime when he returns to the cage on Saturday.
Khan’s silence over the past year left a lot of people speculating as to whether he hung up the gloves, but the Singaporean insists that he’s far from retiring.
“I think it was just an assumption, as I was relatively quiet in the past year. I guess that fueled the speculation that I was retiring,” he said.
Now he'll prove that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank when he takes on former two-time ONE lightweight champion Eduard Folayang in ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham, which broadcasts live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Aside from proving that he still belongs in the division, Khan also has a score to settle with Folayang, having lost to him in 2018.
“I’m very confident, and I’m ready. I’m approaching this like every other fight I’ve had in the past,” Khan said about the upcoming rematch.
“In order to climb back to the top, you have to prove it with a statement. This match is the statement.”
Knowing what a win over Folayang will do for his confidence – and his career in general – Khan won’t be taking it easy in this clash.
“This is an important match for me. [Folayang] is a legend of the sport. That is why I need to win,” Khan said.
That said, Khan is doing everything to make sure he comes in prepared against the Lions Nation MMA representative who also promised to be a whole lot better in this fight.
Having heard how Folayang is sharpening his skills in the grappling department, the Evolve MMA representative is making sure he doesn’t get too fixated on the Filipino’s striking.
“In the past, I used to neglect certain areas of my training. But this time around, I've been training in every single aspect there is – clinch work, submission defense, traps, you name it – to make sure I am prepared for any scenario,” he said.
With days to go until their bout, Khan promises that he’s ready to even the score against the Filipino icon.
“The hard training is done, but I'm still pushing every day to stay healthy and mentally sharp so that I can focus on that day,” Khan said. “I’m at 100 percent now, and I’ll be at 100 percent then.”