Two Filipino warriors. One fight card. A lot to prove.
Joshua Pacio and Eduard Folayang headline a landmark night for Philippine martial arts at The Inner Circle 21 on July 10, with Pacio defending his ONE strawweight world title in the main event and the ageless Folayang returning to action in the co-main. For both men, the fight carries weight beyond the win-loss record.
Pacio Looks to Reaffirm His Strawweight Dominance
Joshua Pacio is coming home—to the division where he belongs.
“The Passion” returns to the ONE strawweight world title picture after a painful detour, challenging for the flyweight MMA crown last November only to be stopped by Japan’s Yuya Wakamatsu via TKO. The defeat stung, but Pacio carries no ambiguity about what comes next. He is back at strawweight, back with his title, and back against a familiar face—Russia’s Mansur Malachiev, who Pacio defeated via unanimous decision over three rounds in 2023.
This time, the stakes are higher. Malachiev returns with something to prove after that loss—and arrives with renewed momentum. His last outing was a submission win over former world champion Jarred Brooks, a result that announced loudly that the Russian has closed the gap since their first meeting.
Pacio carries a 14-5 record in ONE FC. Malachiev is 4-1, with his only blemish coming against the Filipino. The history between them gives this fight a familiarity that cuts both ways—Pacio knows what Malachiev brings, and Malachiev knows exactly what he needs to fix.
A second straight loss would raise serious questions about Pacio’s position at the top of the strawweight division. A convincing defense, on the other hand, resets the narrative and reaffirms that his flyweight bid was a detour, not a decline.
Folayang Defies Age, Steps Back into the Cage
If Pacio’s fight is about reclaiming a title, Eduard Folayang’s is about legacy.
“Landslide” is 42 years old and has not fought since tapping out against Shinya Aoki of Japan at ONE 172. Now he steps back into the cage against Shozo Isojima in a lightweight bout—and his opponent is 28 years younger than he is. The numbers on paper are stark. But Folayang has never let numbers define him.
Isojima enters on a two-fight losing streak, dropping decisions to American Tye Ruotolo and Singapore’s Adrian Lee. He is young, hungry, and eager to reverse his fortunes. Folayang is a legend of the sport in the Philippines, a 13-12 fighter who has seen everything the cage has to offer over a long and storied career.
The co-main event matchup is one of the most intriguing on the card precisely because of what it represents. Can Folayang, at 42, still compete at the highest levels of ONE FC? He has answered that question before when no one believed he could.
The card gets underway at 7:30 p.m. Philippine time on July 10, and is available to watch live at live.onefc.com for viewers in the Philippines and most regions worldwide.
