 |
Team Lakay and Benguet's very own Eduard Folayang with his newly acquired
ONE Championship belt | Philstar/Denison Rey Dalupang
|
MANILA, Philippines — Mark Sangiao and Eduard Folayang have been through thick and thin.
But even after pulling off an improbable upset a week ago in Singapore, the Team Lakay coach would worry rather than be overly jolly.
“‘Di ko ma-explain nararamdaman ko,” Sangiao said of Folayang’s triumphant stand in ONE: Defending Honor. “Kulang na lang umiyak kami nung in-announce ‘yung result.”
Folayang, considered by sports journalists and Filipino spectators as the face of Philippine mixed martial arts, finally snared the elusive title lacking in his shelf. He pulled off what many thought was impossible: defeating a submission artist and arguably the most talented grappler Asia has produced in the realm of fight sports.
The native of Benguet, who is known for his strikes — most notably his spinning back fist — fluidly escaped Shinya Aoki’s myriad takedown attempts. Whenever he was captured and pinned on the ground, the Filipino was solid as a rock, refusing to fall prey to the Japanese fighter.
But in the second canto, Folayang took over the wheel and dictated the pace. That lasted until the third round. The effort paved the way to a knee to Aoki’s mug — a move that led to the Team Lakay ward’s downfall years earlier. Though this time, the tactic led him to the promise land.
At Singapore’s Indoor Stadium, the crew from the north were all smiles. So was Folayang — who knew what was at stake; who was sure of the repercussions if he again fell short.
Heck, he was aware what it would mean not only for the Baguio stable, but for the fans at home, and the sport’s future.
“To become a legend, I have to beat one,” Folayang said in a separate interview.
“Alam ko, people don't believe that I can make it,” he added. “Especially since I'm facing a legend siguro they’d encourage you na ‘Kaya mo ‘yan!’ Pero deep inside, alam nila na may disadvantage ka sa kalaban mo.”
“Pero you should just keep on believing in yourself, keep believing that God is there to strengthen you,” Folayang added.
He believed he can finish off Aoki. He subscribed to the idea of solving the puzzle that was “The Tobikan Judan.”
And Folayang did it — in his terms. He wanted to add a compelling story to his fighter arc, and he got it.
Sangiao and his fighter had been together even before they could call Team Lakay by its now highly revered name. Having seen his fighter in his frailest and now, his peak, the former wushu sanshou champion was as wary as he was jubilant.
“Si Eduard, considered ko nang kapatid,” the tactician said. “Let’s enjoy … [pero] with great power comes with great responsibility.”
“Ang problema natin ngayon, paano ma-maintain at paano maglevel up — ‘yun ‘yung mahirap. Pero ‘di tayo mag-stop. Let’s do our job,” Sangiao added.
“Naipakita naman na natin na kaya nating magproduce ng world champion eh. Gawin pa natin yung dapat nating gawin.”
“Minsan talaga nagmamadali tayo, minsan may mga upset sa buhay natin, umaatras na tayo, di pala ganun, so I learned my lesson in a different way,” Folayang chimed in.
“It’s a good story,” he said of the new chapter of his life.
“Eduard Folayang, decorated Wushu World Champion, SEA Games medalist, and World Champion” has a nice ring to it. But the longtime partners share the same sentiment: The road gets steeper now.
But hey, Folayang’s not called “The Landslide” for nothing, right?
“‘Di ko ma-explain nararamdaman ko,” Sangiao said of Folayang’s triumphant stand in ONE: Defending Honor. “Kulang na lang umiyak kami nung in-announce ‘yung result.”
Folayang, considered by sports journalists and Filipino spectators as the face of Philippine mixed martial arts, finally snared the elusive title lacking in his shelf. He pulled off what many thought was impossible: defeating a submission artist and arguably the most talented grappler Asia has produced in the realm of fight sports.
But in the second canto, Folayang took over the wheel and dictated the pace. That lasted until the third round. The effort paved the way to a knee to Aoki’s mug — a move that led to the Team Lakay ward’s downfall years earlier. Though this time, the tactic led him to the promise land.
Heck, he was aware what it would mean not only for the Baguio stable, but for the fans at home, and the sport’s future.
“To become a legend, I have to beat one,” Folayang said in a separate interview.
“Alam ko, people don't believe that I can make it,” he added. “Especially since I'm facing a legend siguro they’d encourage you na ‘Kaya mo ‘yan!’ Pero deep inside, alam nila na may disadvantage ka sa kalaban mo.”
“Pero you should just keep on believing in yourself, keep believing that God is there to strengthen you,” Folayang added.
He believed he can finish off Aoki. He subscribed to the idea of solving the puzzle that was “The Tobikan Judan.”
And Folayang did it — in his terms. He wanted to add a compelling story to his fighter arc, and he got it.
Sangiao and his fighter had been together even before they could call Team Lakay by its now highly revered name. Having seen his fighter in his frailest and now, his peak, the former wushu sanshou champion was as wary as he was jubilant.
 |
| Mark Sangiao |
“Ang problema natin ngayon, paano ma-maintain at paano maglevel up — ‘yun ‘yung mahirap. Pero ‘di tayo mag-stop. Let’s do our job,” Sangiao added.
“Naipakita naman na natin na kaya nating magproduce ng world champion eh. Gawin pa natin yung dapat nating gawin.”
“Minsan talaga nagmamadali tayo, minsan may mga upset sa buhay natin, umaatras na tayo, di pala ganun, so I learned my lesson in a different way,” Folayang chimed in.
“It’s a good story,” he said of the new chapter of his life.
“Eduard Folayang, decorated Wushu World Champion, SEA Games medalist, and World Champion” has a nice ring to it. But the longtime partners share the same sentiment: The road gets steeper now.
But hey, Folayang’s not called “The Landslide” for nothing, right?
No comments:
Post a Comment