Eduard Folayang and Shinya Aoki reignite their ONE Championship rivalry almost a decade since their sensational first fight.
The storied rivalry between Eduard Folayang and Shinya Aoki will be reignited once again as the two legends clash for the fourth time at ONE 172 on March 23, set at the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
The matchup rekindles a feud that began in 2016, when Folayang scored a career-defining TKO victory over Aoki to claim the ONE Lightweight World Championship.
However, the Japanese submission specialist bounced back with consecutive wins in 2019 and 2021, taking a 2-1 edge in the series.
Now both 41 years old, the veterans head into the bout with renewed vigor.
Folayang has won two of his last three fights, including a highlight-reel KO over Amir Khan.
Meanwhile, among Aoki’s recent victories is an impressive submission of former bantamweight champion John Lineker in an openweight contest in 2024.
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[Editor's note: This article was generated by a member of the One Sports Digital team using AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]