FSA Talks With Filipino Hero, Eduard Folayang, Before His ONE FC Battle Against Kamal Shalorous

As any pre-teen basketball star will tell you, it’s not easy being popular.

When the icon of the Philippines, Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, succumbed to the then relatively unknown Lowen Tynanes at URCC 22 in December, it set the rest of the world on edge. Everyone suddenly questioned Folayang’s grappling, his takedown defense, and his ability to withstand punishment. Can he make it the UFC? Can he make it in ONE FC? Was it all just hype?

The fans will talk.

Eduard Folayang, for all his popularity, superstardom, and legions of Filipino followers, is dedicated to the martial arts, win, lose, or draw. Growing up in a quiet Mountain province, Folayang decided to pursue his dream of becoming a martial artist at a young age. From 2007 to 2011 Eduard looked to be bound for ONE FC gold. A member of the wushu fight school Team Lakay, it was a brutal misfortune that led the Filipino fighter into his December battle with Lowen Tynanes.

Seeking redemption at ONE FC 9: Rise to Power, Eduard Folayang will square off against WEC and UFC veteran Kamal Shalaorus. Shalorous is known for his strong takedowns and ruthless top game. It will be interesting to see if “Landslide” has evolved to withstand a top level wrestler or if his Wushu has taken him as far as it can in the world of Asian MMA.

FSA talked with Eduard about his history, involvement in Wushu, and the development of Filipino MMA. You can catch the Landslide in action tomorrow in Manila for ONE FC 9: Rise to Power.

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Fight Sport Asia: Your parents are natives of Mountain Province in the Phillipines. Tell us a bit about your childhood growing up.

EF: My Parents are from the Mountain Province, and I was born and grew up in the City of Pines, Baguio city. I grew up practicing a lot of traditional martial arts and for us it was fun.

FSA: Were your parents supportive of your martial arts career?

EF: My parents always wanted me to be a police officer, but when they learned that I was into Martial Arts,they were supportive. Even now though, they still get scared when I fight. 

FSA: A lot of people know about your wushu background, but how exactly did you get into the sport?

EF: I was into the Wushu martial arts when I was 16 years old. Around that time I was chosen to represent m country in International Wushu events, but before that I was into kickboxing.

FSA: You most recently earned the wushu gold medal at the SEA Games in 2011. Obviously most competitive wushu isn’t covered by major international combat sports outlets, so tell us how that tournament went for you.

EF: I represented the Philippines in the 2011 SEA games and won gold. I’ve competed in the event before, and this way my third first place medal. The tournament went well because we prepared well for the competition. I faced the competitor from Laos in the championship fight and won. 

FSA: Can you tell us a bit about the type of Wushu Team Lakay practices? What does it contribute to your mma game that other martial arts do not?

EF: We do a lot of conditioning training like sprinting, skills training in striking and we also do takedown offense and defense. The best thing about the training is that we enjoy it (a lot of fighters don’t) and everyone on the time helps each other in order to reach our goals. T

FSA: Are you a fan of any other combat sports?

EF: Yep, I love combat sports.

FSA: I’m sure losing to Tynanes motivated you to work on your wrestling game. Are you excited to prove yourself against another strong wrestler?

EF: Yes, I am excited because I learned a lot of lessons in my last match.

FSA: In some ways, Kamal Shalorous is your biggest fight to date. He’s fought in the WEC , UFC, and now ONE FC. What would winning this fight mean to you?

EF: Winning this fight means a lot to me.  It’s important because it will let me see where I’ve made improvement.  It will let me know if I was able to correct my mistakes from the lessons I learned in the past. 

FSA: You were, and are a hero in the Philippines. How has far has the sport come in your country since you started
competing?

EF: MMA is fastly growing in the Philippines. Right now, there are a lot of Filipinos becoming fans of the sport, and new MMA promotions seem to be coming up all the time. It’s becoming so much more recognized in the Philippines as a legitimate sport. a

FSA: Is there anything else you would like to say?

EF: I would like to thank FSA for making this interview possible, and I’d also thank those people who continually support and pray for me. God bless everyone.