"He's been an inspiration" - Denice Zamboanga stacks praise on 'true legend' Eduard Folayang ahead of Shinya Aoki tilt in Japan

Denice Zamboanga recently praised former two-time ONE lightweight MMA world champion Eduard Folayang for laying the foundations for aspiring Filipino MMA world champions.

In a recent talk with ABS-CBN, Zamboanga tipped her hat to Folayang by acknowledging his contributions to the sport, especially to their home country, the Philippines, and paving the way, stating:

"Eduard Folayang is a true legend in Philippine MMA, and I have so much respect for everything he has accomplished. He's been an inspiration to so many of us, showing what the true Filipino fighting spirit is."

Now, 'The Landslide' is ready to face his longtime nemesis, Shinya Aoki, for the fourth time on March 23 at ONE 172 in a lightweight MMA fight inside the legendary Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

The Filipino MMA icon wants to tie his head-to-head score with 'Tobikan Judan' and break his two-fight skid against him.

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Eduard Folayang says he won't flex his achievements and major contributions to Philippine MMA

As legendary as he is, the Lions MMA Nation-affiliated athlete will not brag about his legendary resume as a professional fighter because he will just let everyone decide whether they will give him his due credit for it.

Furthermore, the 41-year-old veteran says that he would be grateful if he had inspired other fighters to become world champions, as he told ONE Championship in a recent interview:

"If they give me a credit for that then I'll be grateful because at the end of the day, I'm not gonna raise myself up and say that this is what I've done for Philippine MMA, it's up to them. And if they say that at one point I've touched their careers, or I've motivated them to pursue MMA, then I'm most grateful."

Fans can purchase the ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang PPV card via watch.onefc.com. The event will take place inside the legendary Saitama Super Arena in Japan on Sunday, March 23.