Eduard Folayang made an impressive comeback after losing five fights in a row. This was a significant moment for him because it was his 25th fight and 12th year in ONE Championship. The fight happened on September 30 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, and he was up against Amir Khan, who is from Singapore.
In the first round, Folayang used his striking skills to dominate the fight and pushed Khan back with powerful punches. Even though they hadn't fought each other for five years, they still knew each other's fighting styles well.
Khan tried to fight back with precise jabs to disrupt Folayang's rhythm, but Folayang, who has experience in wushu sanda, managed to trip Khan twice during the round. The first round ended with Folayang delivering a series of tornado kicks.
In the second round, Khan continued to use jabs to keep his distance, but Folayang was determined to win. He kept going after Khan with a combination of strikes. Towards the end of the round, there was a brief headbutt, but Folayang quickly regained his composure for the third and final round.
In the third round, Folayang showed great determination. He threw everything he had at Khan, growing more confident with each passing minute. He landed a powerful left hook that knocked Khan down, and he followed it up with two more punches on the ground. The referee, Herb Dean, decided to stop the fight at the 1:57 mark of the third round.
This victory was significant because it ended Folayang's five-fight losing streak in MMA. His professional record now stands at 23 wins and 13 losses. It was also his first stoppage win since November 2016 when he won the lightweight title by defeating Shinya Aoki.
On the other hand, Khan's record dropped to 14 wins and 10 losses after losing to Folayang.
This fight also marked Folayang's debut under his new team, Lions Nation MMA.
In another match, former bantamweight titlist John Lineker faced Stephen Loman. Lineker won by unanimous decision after a strong performance in three rounds. Unfortunately, this was Loman's first defeat in ONE Championship after a good start of 3-0.
Jenelyn Olsim, who also fights with Lions Nation MMA, faced Jihin Radzuan. The fight ended in the third round when Olsim was submitted with an arm bar at the 1:34 mark. This was Olsim's second consecutive loss, making her professional record 6 wins and 5 losses.