WATCH: When Eduard Folayang upset the legendary Shinya Aoki to win the lightweight world title

When ONE Championship matched up Eduard Folayang and Shinya Aoki to fight in 2016, the odds were likely skewed in the direction of Aoki.

After all, the famed Japanese fighter hadn’t fallen to defeat in over four years and had only lost to the highest level of competition. That’s why the end of the fight was so shocking to many.

Take a look at the full fight below, posted on the ONE Championship YouTube channel:

By round three, Aoki was seemingly ahead on the scorecards based on his grappling throughout the fight. The Philippines’ Eduard Folayang likely needed to finish him if he had any hope of winning the fight.

However, every time the fight returned to the feet, Folayang was able to tag Aoki with more and more authority until the final round.

Aoki shot for a takedown immediately in round three, likely sensing the imperative need to take Folayang away from his comfort zone. Instead, Folayang sprawled and blocked the shot, blasting Aoki with a knee, punches, and more knees.

As Aoki continued to shrink into the fetal position, the end became more certain. Eduard Folayang earned the TKO finish 41 seconds into round three, completing the massive upset.

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Eduard Folayang excited for Filipino energy ahead of Manila return

Few people are as excited for ONE Championship’s long-awaited return to the Philippines as Eduard Folayang.

With a promotion-leading 22 bouts inside the circle, ‘Landslide’ is a longtime staple of the organization’s shows. The Filipino MMA legend hasn’t fought in his home country since January 2020, just before the pandemic ruled out any possibility of events until ONE's return this Friday.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Eduard Folayang expressed his enthusiasm to return to the Mall of Asia Arena this week:

“What I like about fighting at MOA Arena, or in the Philippines in general, is that you can really feel the electricity from the capacity crowd. Philippine fans are knowledgeable about the fight game and when they watch an MMA fight, you just get this shot of adrenaline whenever they cheer or shout your name. Filipino fans bring a different kind of energy during fights, that’s why I’m excited that ONE Championship is back in Manila this December.”

Folayang will look to bring the heat to Brazilian Edson Marques at ONE on Prime Video 5 this Friday. The sage of Team Lakay has stated that his competing MMA career may be nearing a close, and if that’s true, the 39-year-old will want to finish strong.

The first of two events at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila this weekend, ONE on Prime Video 5 goes down Friday evening in US primetime, with two-division world champion Reinier de Ridder defending his ONE light heavyweight world title against ONE interim heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin.

Their match and the rest of that card will be broadcast live and for free for all Amazon Prime subscribers across North America.