Shinya Aoki closed out his iconic combined martial arts profession with one other highlight-reel end in his native Japan.
It solely took ‘Tobikan Judan’ 53 seconds to notch one other win over his best rival, Eduard Folayang, catching the Filipino fan favourite in a slick armbar submission mere moments into their bout at ONE 172.
Because the struggle started, Aoki instantly shot in for a double-leg takedown. Folayang efficiently defended, however Aoki jumped guard, dragging Folayang right down to the mat and catching the previous ONE world champion in an armbar. Unable to struggle his means out, ‘Landslide’ had no selection however to faucet out, handing Aoki his third-straight victory of their iconic feud.
With the win, Aoki moved to 3-1 all-time in opposition to Folayang with all of his victories coming through submission within the opening spherical. After the struggle, Aoki took off his gloves however declined to formally retire contained in the ring, suggesting that an official announcement can be made at a later time.
Official End result: Shinya Aoki def. Eduard Folayang through submission (armbar) at 0:53 of Spherical 1
take a look at highlights from Eduard Folayang vs. Shinya Aoki at ONE 172: