Eduard Folayang will make the first defense of his lightweight belt at ONE: Kings of Destiny next month. The freshly minted Filipino champion is set to take on Ev Ting on April 21 at the MOA Arena in Manila.
Folayang (17-5) is a huge fan favorite in the Philippines and fight fans were ecstatic when he stopped Shinya Aoki to win the belt last year. He headlined ONE Championship’s inaugural event in 2011 and has been a promotional stalwart, but had to wait several years for his title shot.
Now that he has won the belt, Folayang will be determined not to lose it, especially in front of the Filipino fans. He’s up against an opponent who has won six fights out of seven for Asia’s biggest MMA promotion and is coming off a split-decision win over Kamal Shalorus.
Ting (13-3) has already beaten five Filipinos during a career which has taken him from Australasia to Asia. The Malaysian born lightweight holds wins over Folayang’s Team Lakay training partners Honorio Banario and Edward Kelly and has also beaten Cary Bullos and Edward Kelly.
The ONE: Kings of Destiny card is also set to feature a welterweight title fight with Ben Askren defending his belt against an as yet unnamed opponent.
