Pieter Buist Stuns Manila With Defeat Of Eduard Folayang
Pieter “The Archangel” Buist pulled off the biggest win of his mixed martial arts career at ONE: FIRE & FURY by defeating Filipino hero Eduard “Landslide” Folayang after stepping up on short notice.
On Friday, 31 January, the Dutch lightweight came in after just two weeks of preparation to get the edge against the former ONE Lightweight World Champion in Manila, Philippines, after three thrilling rounds of action.
Buist’s height and reach advantage was clear as soon as the athletes touched gloves, so Folayang started by looking to strike with hard leg kicks. However, he was soon caught with a head kick and hard right hand that gave “The Archangel” the chance to lock up a standing guillotine.
“The Landslide” escaped to the relief of his compatriots that filled the Mall Of Asia Arena, and then jumped guard to attempt a guillotine of his own, but he could not find the angle to tighten it.
The second stanza opened with a heavy exchange of leg kicks before Folayang tried to rough his Dutch rival up against the fence. When they separated, the Team Lakay representative put Buist on his back by countering a kick with a swift blow to his standing leg.
Surprisingly, it was “Landslide” who got into trouble on the canvas as he was caught in a tight triangle armbar, but just when he looked set to tap, he escaped to the sound of huge roars from the crowd.
The Filipino tried to deal damage with ground and pound from top position, but he was swept before the bell by Buist, who then looked like the fresher competitor at the start of the final round. He landed hard body kicks and then scored big by countering a spinning attack with a head kick.
That wobbled the former World Champion, who then absorbed a right cross and had to defend another standing guillotine, but he escaped again.
Folayang then took control against the fence, but Buist continued to look more dangerous at range after they separated. Despite that, Folayang threw caution to the wind and exchanged in the final seconds to try and steal the victory.
In the end, the judges were split, but two scorecards to one in Buist’s favor gave him the win via split decision, which improved his record to 17-4.
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