Injury Can’t Prevent Folayang’s Comeback Win In Manila

Eduard “Landslide” Folayang thrilled his compatriots as he dominated his opponent with wushu strikes in front of a sold out Mall Of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.

On Friday, 8 November, the 35-year-old Filipino scored a second-round technical decision win over Mongolia’s Amarsanaa “Spear” Tsogookhuu in their lightweight duel at ONE: MASTERS OF FATE.

In round one, both warriors avoided tangling up too quickly. But after the brief feeling out process, it was the hometown hero who struck first.

Folayang connected with a series of right leg kicks, and once he settled into his rhythm, he exhibited his usual wushu striking, which was greeted with loud cheers from his compatriots.

At the two-minute mark of the opening round, “Landslide” caught Tsogookhuu with a brilliant left-right combination that led to a leg kick and a body kick. He then sent his foe to the ropes with a sidekick that landed on Tsogookhuu’s midsection.

Even when the Mongolian did attack, Folayang countered with spinning hook kicks. By the end of the first round, it was evident that whenever “Spear” advanced, the Filipino was going to use his wushu sidekicks to set him up.

In round two, it was the MGL-1 FC Lightweight Champion who came out of his corner in search of a finish. As Folayang circled the ring, the Team Amaraa standout caught his foe with a jumping knee. The Baguio City native shook it off and continued to uncork body kicks.

Just as Folayang – a former ONE Lightweight World Champion – was influencing the tempo of the match, the Filipino and his opponent clashed heads in a wild exchange. The Team Lakay representative went to the canvas, where Tsogookhuu jumped on him for the finish.

Seeing the injury under Folayang’s eye, referee Kemp Cheng jumped in and called for a time out to have the ringside physician assess the damage caused by the unintentional headbutt. Considering Folayang’s safety, the doctor stopped the bout.

Under ONE Championship rules, if an athlete is injured and cannot continue, the bout will go to the judges’ scorecards to determine a winner.

All three judges scored the duration of the bout in favor of the Philippines martial arts icon. The technical decision win improved his record to 22-8.

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