Two of the biggest names on ONE Championship’s lightweight roster will face off in Manila. Eduard Folayang has been matched with Eddie Alvarez at the MOA Arena on August 2nd.
The bout pits a former UFC lightweight champion against a former ONE lightweight champion. Alvarez and Folayang are both veterans who have a reputation for getting involved in entertaining fights.
Both men are also coming off losses at ONE: ‘A New Era’. Alvarez was knocked out by Timofey Nastyukhin in the quarter finals of the lightweight Grand Prix while Folayang was submitted by Shinya Aoki in a title fight.
Alvarez (29-7-0-1) sent shockwaves through the MMA world when he signed with ONE Championship. The 35 year old is a former Bellator and UFC lightweight champion who has been in with the likes of Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor, Rafael dos Anjos, Anthony Pettis, Gilbert Melendez and Donald Cerrone.
Folayang (21-7) is already a veteran of 16 ONE Championship fights. He is a two time lightweight champion and coincidentally he was also knocked out by Nastyukhin, on the Russian’s promotional debut in 2014.
ONE: ‘Dawn of Heroes’ will be headlined by a Muay Thai fight. England’s Jonathan Haggerty will make the first defence of his flyweight title against hard hitting Thai fighter Rodtang Jitmuangnon.
The card will also feature three semi finals in the lightweight Grand Prix and the flyweight Grand Prix. In the latter Demetrious Johnson (28-3-1) takes on Tatsumitsu Wada (21-10-2-1) while Danny Kingad (12-1) goes up against Kairat Akhmetov (26-2) in the former.
The lightweight Grand Prix has lost a participant to injury. Lowen Tynanes has withdrawn and will be replaced by Honorio Banario (14-8) who faces Nastyukhin (13-4) in the second semi final, the winner will face Saygid Arslanaliev at ONE: ‘Century’ in October.
ONE: ‘Dawn of Heroes’, Manila, August 2nd
Muay Thai: Jonathan Haggerty (c) vs. Rodtang Jitmuangnon (For Flyweight Title)
Eduard Folayang vs. Eddie Alvarez (Lightweight)
Demetrious Johnson vs. Tatsumitsu Wada (Flyweight Grand Prix Semi-Final)
Danny Kingad vs. Kairat Akhmetov (Flyweight Grand Prix Semi-Final)
Honorio Banario vs. Timofey Nastyukhin (Lightweight Grand Prix Semi-Final)
Reece McLaren vs. Yuya Wakamatsu (Flyweight)
Leandro Issa vs. Daichi Takenaka (Bantamweight)
Ayaka Miura vs. Samara Santos (Atomweight)
Muay Thai: Neunglanlek Jitmuangnon vs. Chris Shaw (Bantamweight)
