One Championship Hosts Team Lakay Media Day In Manila

It was ground breaking record when Team Lakay recorded a 5-0 win during the Kings of Destiny last 21st of April at the Mall of Asia Arena. The fighters from Team Lakay, including the Eduard Folayang, who defended his ONE Lightweight World Champion belt against EV Ting and succeeds, let their training kick in, fought hard and won their respective rounds.

Eduard Folayang Faces Off with Ev Ting at ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY Press Conference

As the biggest fight event of the millennium is fast approaching, ONE Championship (ONE), the largest sports media property in Asian history, recently held a press conference at City of Dreams Manila to kick off the ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY fight week. In attendance was ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang along with challenger Ev “E.T.” Ting of Malaysia.  

Also in attendance were ONE Championship Vice President for Public Relations and Communications Loren Mack, City of Dreams Manila Vice President for Gaming Operations Kevin Benning, as well as supporting card fighters Christian “The Warrior” Lee, Wan “The Werewolf” Jian Ping, Gina “Conviction” Iniong, and Natalie “The Kilapino” Gonzales Hills.

Loren Mack, ONE Championship Vice President for Public Relations and Communications, stated: “Since it is ONE Championship’s tenth event on Philippine soil, we have prepared the very best match lineup for the delight of our Filipino audience and the rest of the world. ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY is going to be the biggest mixed martial arts card in the country's history. We have the Philippines’ biggest star in Eduard Folayang defending his world title for the first time in Manila against Malaysia’s top contender Ev Ting. I just cannot begin to say how massive of a main event this will be. In addition, a handful of compelling bouts between Asia’s top superstars are set to take place inside the ONE Championship cage on fight night. Fans will not want to miss all the action that goes down in Manila, as we are already gearing up for an absolutely electrifying evening of world-class mixed martial arts."

Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of the legendary Team Lakay in Baguio City is one of the Philippines’ most experienced mixed martial artists. The 33-year-old veteran authored a career resurgence in 2016, winning three consecutive bouts against high-profile opponents while showcasing a highly-improved wrestling and grappling arsenal. In his last bout, Folayang shocked the world by capturing the ONE Lightweight World Championship with a sensational victory over Japanese MMA legend Shinya Aoki. Folayang’s challenger, Ev “E.T.” Ting of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is also on a run of his own, winning his last four bouts including two impressive victories at lightweight to become a top contender for the title. The pair will go head-to-head in the main event of ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY.

Eduard Folayang, ONE Lightweight World Champion, stated: “Ev Ting is a great athlete. He is an amazing competitor and has obviously earned the opportunity to challenge for the title. He is the complete package, with good striking and a really good ground game. I need to be at my absolute best to make sure I can defend the belt successfully. I would love to test my skills against the best martial artist in the world, and to show everyone how much I have improved since my last match. I’m excited to showcase my skills in front of my countrymen.”

Ev Ting, ONE title challenger, stated: “I have worked very hard to earn this opportunity. Eduard Folayang is a great champion and embodies the true values of martial arts, but I’m coming for the belt. I know chances like this are very rare and I will do my best to take the title home for my family and all of my fans. I feel strong and ready. I was built for this moment and I’m going to capture it and bring pride and honor to my country.”

Ticket information for ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY is available at www.onefc.com

Ev Ting has full respect for Filipino MMA athletes

Malaysian-Kiwi sensation Ev “E.T.” Ting speaks highly of the dauntless Filipino prizefighters who proudly donned the Philippine colors inside the mixed martial arts (MMA) cage.

Ting, a 27-year-old full-blooded Malaysian who grew up in Auckland, New Zealand, has crossed paths with seven Filipino stalwarts in his celebrated 16-fight career that commenced in April 2011.

“E.T.” has won six of his seven bouts against Filipino fighters, with the only loss coming at the hands of Filipino-American standout Mark Striegl via first-round technical submission in February 2011 under the banner of a regional MMA promotion.

After making an impact in his ONE Championship debut against Indonesia’s Yohan Mulia Legowo in June 2014, Ting’s reputation as a serious threat to Filipinos was raised to a notch higher, knocking out Edward Kelly with a first-round high kick in October 2014 before forcing Cary Bullos to tap with a second-round guillotine choke in March 2015.

Ting had a vindictive follow-up by defeating former ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio Banario in just 56 seconds with a first-round guillotine choke in October 2015.

In January 2016, Ting notched a huge victory over Eric Kelly, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest Filipino fighters that the Philippine MMA scene has produced.

Following several back-and-forth sequences of takedowns and submission attempts, Ting was able to compel Kelly to wave the white flag for the first time in his illustrious professional MMA stint with a third-round guillotine choke.  Outside the confines of ONE Championship, Ting also holds impressive wins over the likes of Filipino-Kiwi combatant Mark Abelardo and homegrown talent Rolando Gabriel Dy.  Despite the fact that he handed heartbreaking setbacks to Pinoy contingents, Ting is all praise to every Filipino fighter who pours out their burning passion for the sport each time they step inside the cage.

“Filipino fighters have this distinct desire and passion to compete in this sport, which I find it inspirational for me as a non-Filipino fighter,” he said. “It’s just so happened that my opponents are Filipinos, but I really have high respect to them.”  He added, “Filipino fighters are tough as nails. Most of the Filipino fighters that I faced in the past brought out the best in me. With the battles that I’ve gone through with them, I don’t know if I will be in this position right now. I am thankful for that.”

Ting will be facing another Filipino in his next outing as he is set to challenge Eduard “Landslide” Folayang for the ONE Lightweight World Championship title in the main event of ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY on 21 April 2017.  The scheduled five-round championship clash will take place at the 20,000-capacity SM Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines. Ting secured a date with Folayang when he scored a split decision win over former lightweight title challenger Kamal Shalorus last February.

“I have worked tirelessly to be where I am now. It has finally paid off because I will get an opportunity to vie for a world title. It's every mixed martial artist's dream to become a champion. This is my chance to fulfill that dream,” Ting stressed.

Even if Folayang will have the whole crowd cheering for him in their highly-anticipated confrontation, Ting is not bothered by it as his whole focus is on bringing home the gold-plated strap.

“Eduard Folayang is a great champion and is admired by many Filipinos, but he has what I want. I'm coming to Manila to get it from him and bring the belt home to Malaysia,” he ended.