Top 3 striking displays from Eduard Folayang ahead of John Wayne Parr Muay Thai battle at ONE X

Former ONE lightweight world champion Eduard Folayang will find himself in somewhat unfamiliar territory at ONE X: Grand Finale on Saturday, March 26.

For the first time in his decade-long stay at the world’s largest martial arts organization, the Filipino warrior steps inside the circle in a ONE Super Series Muay Thai contest, where he'll meet striking icon John Wayne Parr.

The Team Lakay exponent perhaps knows that it will be a tough night. His opponent, the Australian striking machine, is eyeing a 100th win to close out his 30-year career in combat sports.

However, to Eduard Folayang’s credit, the wushu specialist has put in some remarkable striking performances on the global stage in the past.

We look at some of his most savage displays in the stand-up department ahead of his 23rd appearance inside the circle.

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#3 Eduard Folayang vs. Kotetsu Boku

Kotetsu Boku is a man who is not known for showing mercy when he fights.

The Japanese martial artist is a crafty veteran and was, at one time, one of the best strikers within the promotion’s lightweight roster. He's always ready to get entangled in a slugfest, and his dynamite fists have rocked plenty of opponents in the past.

Eduard Folayang wasn’t afraid of any of these, and he let it show when they clashed in May 2014.

Watch the highlights below:

Folayang’s wushu-stance was the basis of his game plan throughout the contest. The Team Lakay star stayed light on his feet while puzzling Boku with his trademark attacks. As the match progressed, he continued slicing through his rival’s defense with spinning attacks from left, right, and center.

The performance was even more impressive because Eduard Folayang never seemed ready to slow down – not even in the dying seconds of the third frame. His energy, tactics, and striking were far superior, and it eventually handed him the unanimous decision win.

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#2 Eduard Folayang vs. Amir Khan

'Landslide' picked up the vacant ONE lightweight world champion in style against Singapore's Amir Khan at ONE: Conquest of Champions in November 2018.

The Filipino fighter outstruck and outclassed the man with the most knockouts in the history of the promotion at the time with a striking clinic that would have perhaps impressed Parr.

Watch the highlights below:

Eduard Folayang stayed beyond Khan's reach and entered the pocket with his kicks while exiting it in typical fashion, with spinning combinations and huge punches.

He had an answer for everything Khan threw at him throughout the 25-minute war. In the end, he made life very easy for the judges, who handed him the unanimous decision win.

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#1 Eduard Folayang vs. Shinya Aoki I

The Team Lakay standout has amassed 12 victories in the circle. However, none could top his win against Japanese legend Shinya Aoki at ONE: Defending Honor in November 2016, arguably one of his finest displays in the promotion.

Aoki’s grappling game troubled everyone before he ran into Folayang. To everyone’s surprise, though, the Team Lakay superstar – who was still improving his jiu-jitsu – nullified ‘Tobikan Judan's’ onslaught on the canvas.

The Japanese fighter put him in a couple of tricky positions in the opening two rounds, but 'Landslide' remained active and stayed one step ahead to frustrate the ground game specialist repeatedly. He even defended some of those takedown attempts with quick sprawls and flying knees.

In the third round, Aoki attempted to take the fight to the canvas again, proving to be a costly error.

'Landslide' caught him flush with a knee, followed up with another knee strike, and unloaded a barrage of right punches to pick up his first-ever MMA world title at the 41-second mark of the third frame.