One last stand: Everything you need to know about Eduard Folayang vs. John Wayne Parr at ONE: X

John Wayne Parr and Eduard Folayang are absolute class acts in the fight game. The two are set to clash at ONE Championship’s 10-year anniversary show, ONE X, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on March 26.

A legend taking on another fighter with a similar pedigree isn’t a rarity, but the fight between the two elder statesmen presents a whole new dynamic. This would be the first time Folayang, an MMA champion, will cross over to Muay Thai.

Meanwhile, John Wayne Parr is a multi-time world champion in the discipline. He's won the WKA Muay Thai middleweight, WKBF K-1 middleweight, World Muay Thai Council Kings Cup, and K-1 ISKA Muay Thai middleweight championships in his lengthy career.

His fight against Folayang at ONE X will be the last time we'll see him compete as a professional fighter.

---

John Wayne Parr’s quest for that century mark

The Australian’s retirement match couldn’t have come at a better time and against a better opponent.

Yes, John Wayne Parr isn't taking on a well-known kickboxer or Muay Thai fighter in his last hurrah, but he’s facing off against a wushu specialist who had already established a world championship striking career even before entering ONE.

Folayang holds a black belt in wushu, having won three Southeast Asian Games gold medals, a silver and a bronze at the Asian Games, and another bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships.

His transition to MMA eventually saw him become a multi-time ONE lightweight world champion, and he is considered one of the greatest Filipino MMA fighters of all time.

Meanwhile, 'The Gunslinger' is also seeking to become a centurion in terms of victories as he holds an impressive 99-34-1 record in a career that started in 1997. John Wayne Parr’s 100th win, if he does get the victory, would be against a certified legend of not only MMA but also wushu.

---

A return to striking for Eduard Folayang

Eduard Folayang has been in MMA since 2007, using his wushu skills as the base for his game.

An accomplished fighter with six knockouts to his name in MMA, Folayang was originally a kickboxer before dedicating himself to wushu.

The Filipino MMA pioneer began his career in kickboxing but eventually switched to wushu when he became one of Team Lakay’s founding members.

However, Muay Thai is an all too different field for the 37-year-old. Nevertheless, it’s a new adventure he’s willing to explore in the future. He recently told ONE Championship:

“Honestly, I don’t know. I want to get a feel for the sport, for ONE Super Series in this fight. Maybe after this fight, I will be able to assess and think about what I truly want to do moving forward. It’s hard to say yes immediately. It just so happened that this opportunity opened up for me, and I grabbed it. After this, I’ll be able to decide. I’ve been competing for the longest time. I’ve been called the face of Philippine[s] MMA, so as much as possible, I want to further add to that legacy."