Filipino legend Eduard Folayang says “it’s an honor” to face off against rival-turned-friend Shinya Aoki at ONE 172

Eduard Folayang has had many foes in ONE Championship, but the opponent he's always proud to match up against is his fellow legend Shinya Aoki.

The former ONE lightweight MMA world champions will square off for the fourth time in their storied careers on the stacked ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang card on March 23 at the historic Saitama Super Arena.

While they shared the circle in some of its most memorable matches, Folayang and Aoki have developed a deep friendship outside of it.

Folayang said in an interview with The MMA Superfan that he's proud to share the cage with his good friend in Japan for probably the final time in their careers.

"For me, it’s an honor to be facing Shinya again for the last time because that’s the reason why he went up to Baguio back in 2023. He wanted to ask for this fight, and I’m obliged to give it to him," said Eduard Folayang.

Aoki and Folayang are two of the most influential fighters in ONE Championship history and helped carry the promotion to its early boom period in the mid-2010s.

Of the previous three fights against each other, the first two were fought over the ONE lightweight MMA world title.

Folayang started his first reign atop the division when he mauled Aoki for the third-round stoppage win at ONE: Defending Honor in November 2016.

Aoki then got his retribution when he stopped Folayang's second reign with the ONE lightweight MMA world title at ONE: A New Era in March 2019.

Fighting in front of his hometown fans in Tokyo, Aoki submitted Folayang in the first round of their matchup to reclaim the lightweight MMA throne.

Aoki broke the stalemate when he submitted Folayang in their first non-title match against each other at ONE on TNT IV in April 2021 in Singapore.

Tickets for ONE 172 are available at EPlus, while the entire card will be streamed live at watch.onefc.com.

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Eduard Folayang says he and Shinya Aoki will set aside their friendship for ONE 172 tussle

Eduard Folayang admitted that taking on a close friend would be difficult, but he's ready for temporary animosity when he takes on Shinya Aoki in one of MMA's most hallowed grounds.

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

"Of course as friends, it’s hard. Like I said earlier, it’s hard to fight your friend, but as professionals, we have to put aside our friendship for a moment in order to perform well."

Watch Eduard Folayang's entire interview below: