“Those who inspired me” - Eduard Folayang wants to honor the PRIDE legends who made Saitama Super Arena iconic at ONE 172

Eduard Folayang will forever be a student of the game, and he plans to honor the icons who paved the way when he goes to Japan for his next outing.

The Filipino legend will face off against old rival and close friend Shinya Aoki in a lightweight MMA contest on the stacked ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang card on March 23 at the historic Saitama Super Arena.

In an interview with The MMA Superfan, Folayang talked about the mystique of the legendary Japanese stadium and how it housed some of the greatest moments in PRIDE FC's iconic run.

Eduard Folayang said:

"But more than that, going back again and fighting at the Saitama Super Arena is great because it’s where I watched those who inspired me to be in this sport, especially during the PRIDE days."

Starting his MMA career in the late 2000s, Folayang found his inspiration through his following for the PRIDE FC promotion that had a cultish fandom throughout its short yet iconic run.

The Japanese promotion is often considered a pivotal player in helping MMA reach its current notoriety, and was the home of some of MMA history's best fighters.

Names such as Fedor Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop, Kazushi Sakuraba and Wanderlei Silva helped PRIDE FC reach extreme heights during the 2000s.

Although he never fought in PRIDE FC, Folayang still has a connection through his opponent.

Aoki was in his early MMA career when he fought in four PRIDE FC events from 2006 to 2007, including the historic New Year's Eve show PRIDE Shockwave 2006 at Saitama Super Arena.

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

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Eduard Folayang says taking on Shinya Aoki in Japan his chance to rectify his past mistakes

Eduard Folayang and Shinya Aoki figured in one of the most celebrated rivalries in ONE Championship.

The first two of their three matches were fought over the ONE lightweight MMA world title, with both fighters taking one win against each other.

Aoki ultimately broke the stalemate when he submitted Folayang in their third matchup in April 2021.

In the same interview with The MMA Superfan, Folayang said fighting his old rival in Japan will be his perfect opportunity to avenge those two losses:

"Of course. If the card turns out on my side, then it’s a very good thing for me to restore the things that I lost during that time."

Watch Folayang's entire interview below: