ONE Championship’s The Inner Circle is starting to look like must-see viewing every Friday night for fans – and its July 10 card will carry a strong Filipino flavour.
Joshua Pacio will defend his strawweight MMA title against Mansur Malachiev in a revenge-charged rematch at Lumpinee Stadium, while Eduard Folayang, his mentor and Lions Nation MMA teammate, returns on the same card against Shozo Isojima.
The double Filipino presence at The Inner Circle 21 comes amid a major title-fight run for ONE’s paywalled live-streaming product, with six championship bouts booked between June 19 and July 24.
For Pacio, it is a return to familiar territory after a bruising move up to flyweight last November.
The 30-year-old Filipino challenged Yuya Wakamatsu in Tokyo, looking to chase history and become a two-division MMA champion.
Instead, Pacio was stopped in the second round, suffering a disappointing defeat away from his natural division.
Now back at strawweight, he faces one of the toughest tests available – and a challenger who has spent nearly three years refusing to accept the first result between them.
Pacio beat Malachiev by unanimous decision at Lumpinee Stadium in October 2023, handing the Russian the first and only defeat of his professional career.
Malachiev still refers to himself as “15-0” on his Instagram bio, despite his official professional record standing at 14-1.
Since that loss, the 34-year-old has fought his way back to a title shot with three straight wins.
His most emphatic came in his most recent appearance last year, when he submitted former champion Jarred Brooks with a second-round north-south choke at ONE Fight Night 36.
It was a statement win in a division still shaped by Pacio and Brooks’ rivalry, and one that made Malachiev difficult to ignore.
Pacio, though, remains the central figure at strawweight.
The Lions Nation MMA star regained the title from Brooks by disqualification in Qatar in 2024, after an illegal slam, before removing any lingering doubt with a second-round TKO in their trilogy last year.
A second win over Malachiev would close off another unresolved chapter in the division – and leave the Russian with little room to keep disputing the first one.
Folayang’s return adds another layer to the Filipino presence on the card.
The 42-year-old has not fought since a March 2025 loss to Shinya Aoki in Saitama, the fourth meeting in one of ONE Championship’s longest-running rivalries.
A former two-time lightweight MMA champion, Folayang remains one of the most important figures in Filipino MMA history, having helped put the sport on the map in his country during his long run with Team Lakay.
He later left the Baguio stable and launched Lions Nation MMA alongside several of his former teammates, with Pacio now the gym’s leading champion.
But while Pacio remains at the top of his division, Folayang is still trying to show he has something left.
“The Landslide” has repeatedly refused to call it quits, even after ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong urged him to consider retirement following his most recent win – a third-round knockout of Singapore’s Amir Khan in September 2023.
Eduard Folayang (left) returns against Japan_s Shozo Isojima at The Inner Circle 21
Folayang laughed off the suggestion then, and has continued to insist his future remains in the ring.
That stance will be tested again against Isojima, a dangerous Japanese striker who is also trying to halt a difficult run.
Isojima has suffered back-to-back first-round finishes against Tye Ruotolo and Adrian Lee, and will see Folayang as a major name to add to his record.
For Folayang, another defeat would inevitably raise fresh questions about whether this could be his final dance in ONE.
The July 10 card lands in the middle of a title-heavy stretch for The Inner Circle.
This Friday, Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom challenges Allycia Hellen Rodrigues for the atomweight Muay Thai title, while Samet Agdeve defends his heavyweight kickboxing belt against Roman Kryklia in a rematch on the same card.
A week later, Asadula Imangazaliev and Aslamjon Ortikov are scheduled to fight for the vacant flyweight Muay Thai title, provided everything goes to plan on the scales.
Pacio then defends his strawweight MMA title against Malachiev on July 10, before Jonathan Di Bella puts his strawweight kickboxing belt on the line against Zhang Peimian on July 17.
On July 24, Sam-A Gaiyanghadao and Aliff Sor Dechapan meet for the interim strawweight Muay Thai title, with champion Prajanchai PK Saenchai sidelined by injury.
That is a heavy run for a product still finding its place in ONE’s ecosystem.
The Inner Circle is no longer simply being built around extra Friday night content. It is being loaded with championship stakes, familiar names and fights that matter.
For Filipino fans, July 10 will carry even more interest.
National icon Pacio returns to strawweight with his title on the line against a rival who still refuses to count his only defeat.
The legend Folayang returns again, still fighting against time as much as his opponent.
Together, they give The Inner Circle 21 a clear Filipino identity – and ONE another chance to show its subscription platform is becoming a serious part of the calendar.
