Veteran Filipino MMA fighter Eduard Folayang in action. Handout/ONE Championship

MANILA -- Inspired by the recent success of Filipino fighters, veteran Eduard "Landslide" Folayang is determined to emerge victorious when he sees action at ONE 172 on March 23 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

The former two-time ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion will be up against his archrival, Shinya Aoki, in the fourth meeting between the two icons.

Folayang's confidence is boosted by the strong performances of fighters from Lions Nation MMA, most notably Joshua Pacio who overwhelmed Jarred Brooks in February to unify the ONE strawweight championship.

READ: Pacio stops Brooks in thriller to become undisputed ONE champ

"Things have been looking up for us. Joshua just recently unified the World Titles, Kevin [Belingon] also made a good account of himself in his return. As for me, I'm doing my best to catch up on my training because I stayed for about a week in Qatar," said Folayang.

"With two weeks left before Japan, I'm in the peak of my training right now. I'm pushing hard to make sure I come in there truly prepared," he added.

Outside of Lions Nation, Denice Zamboanga also made history by winning the ONE Interim Atomweight MMA World Championship -- the first Filipina to win a world championship in mixed martial arts.

READ: After long road to ONE's mountaintop, Denice Zamboanga already eyeing next peak

"That's what we want to see now. And I'm happy that we're on the cusp of doing it again," Folayang said, referring to 2018 when the Philippines held five ONE World Titles. "The fact that we still have two World Champions means that Philippine MMA didn't stagnate. It continues to evolve, and it continues to thrive." 

With that in mind, he promises to be at his best when he marks his return at the 37,000-seat arena in less than three weeks.  

"There's gonna be a 'Landslide' in Japan," he said. "I'm gonna bring it there, and fans should expect nothing less on March 23."