ONE 172 predictions: Eduard Folayang vs. Shinya Aoki IV

It's the rivalry that spawned multiple storylines, world titles, and a deep friendship, and ONE 172 will see the fourth match between legends Shinya Aoki and Eduard Folayang.

The former ONE lightweight MMA world champions will face off at the stacked ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang card on Sunday at the historic Saitama Super Arena.

Folayang and Aoki are often considered two of the most important fighters in ONE Championship history. Their rivalry stretches as far back as November 2016 when they met for the first time over the ONE lightweight MMA world title in Singapore.

The Filipino icon captured first blood in their series when he stopped Aoki with a furious ground-and-pound TKO in the third round of their headlining match at ONE: Defending Honor.

Aoki then evened the score three years later when he stopped Folayang's second reign atop the lightweight MMA throne with a first-round submission finish at ONE: A New Era in Tokyo in March 2019.

'Tobikan Judan' ultimately broke the deadlock in April 2021 when he once again submitted Folayang in their trilogy match at ONE on TNT IV in Singapore.

The pair now returns to Japan for an all-legends clash in one of the most historic venues for combat sports.

ONE 172 is available live on pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.

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Prediction for ONE 172 matchup between Eduard Folayang and Shinya Aoki: Folayang via knockout

Eduard Folayang and Shinya Aoki are the quintessential pairing of clashing styles in MMA.

Aoki is a potent grappler while Folayang is a dominant brawler.

Their wins encapsulated their strengths to perfection, and whoever gets their work in early in their fourth match at ONE 172 will take the win.

This writer believes Folayang will come out and spoil Aoki's homecoming match on Sunday.

Folayang has developed his grappling and knows just how adept Aoki is on the ground. The Filipino legend won't let this match go to the ground and he'll only take his chance if it means he'll go on an unstoppable ground-and-pound sequence for the finish.

'The Landslide' would rely mostly on his footwork and distance management to lay out his traps against Aoki, before going on a blinding flurry that could effectively stop the Japanese legend in the third round.