“Conquering ourselves” - Eduard Folayang says fourth fight against rival-turned-friend Shinya Aoki testament to their growth

Eduard Folayang knows his latest matchup against Shinya Aoki goes beyond battling a fellow legend.

The two icons will square off for the fourth time in a legend-versus-legend showcase at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23 at the historic Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

In an interview with The MMA Superfan, Folayang said he and his fellow former ONE lightweight MMA world champion have already developed a deep friendship with one another.

Folayang pointed out that his next match against Aoki won't be a test of competition, but a testament to how they've conquered their own adversities.

"But I think it’s more like conquering ourselves. Because we’ve already built a friendship despite our rivalry in the past. So this is about conquering ourselves, on how we will be able to show up and do our best despite all of the things that happened in the past," said Eduard Folayang.

The pair are two of the most instrumental fighters in ONE Championship history, and they've helped carry the promotion into its early boom period in the 2010s.

Folayang had his first reign with the ONE lightweight MMA world title in November 2016 when he scored a dramatic technical knockout win over Aoki in Singapore.

Aoki then reclaimed the gold when he stopped Folayang's second reign with a first-round submission in March 2019 in front of his hometown fans in Tokyo.

The former world champions had their trilogy match in April 2021, with Aoki taking the first-round submission win to get a 2-1 lead in their head-to-head matchups.

Tickets for ONE 172 are available at EPlus.

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Eduard Folayang says he and Shinya Aoki have a ton left in the gas tank

They may have gone past 40 years old, but Eduard Folayang is confident he and fellow legend Shinya Aoki have a ton left in their gas tanks.

Folayang and Aoki are 41, but the Filipino MMA icon said he and his fellow ONE Championship OG will still put on an absolute banger in Saitama.

In the same interview with The MMA Superfan, Folayang said:

"In a match, no matter what sport it is, you can’t really take away the competition aspect of it," Folayang said. "For me, there is still competition for both of us. He wants to prove something, I want to prove something as well."

Watch Folayang's entire interview below: