One Championship: Demetrious Johnson hails ‘amazing’ Eddie Alvarez as coach reveals ‘messed up ankle’
- ‘It’s no secret he gets in a little trouble when he fights,’ says fellow former UFC champ on Alvarez’s incredible comeback win against Eduard Folayang
- Coach Mark Henry says Alvarez came into the fight with an ankle injury – which Folayang appeared to aggravate with a brutal leg kick
As in Tokyo, Johnson was fighting on the same card as his fellow former UFC champion – though this time they both came away with a win. They will return to the Japanese capital for the finals of their respective grands prix at One’s stacked “Century” event.
“I felt Eddie did an amazing job,” Johnson said at Friday night’s post-event press conference. “It’s no secret he gets in a little trouble when he fights, dating back to Bellator and UFC and even now this.
“He looked good, battled adversity, got Eduard where he isn’t strong and got the rear-naked choke from the back. So me and him will compete in Japan on October 13, it should be good.”
Alvarez will be back at Ryogoku Sumo Hall, where he suffered a shock first-round TKO defeat by Russian knockout artist Timofey Nastyukhin at One’s “A New Era” show.
It looked like it might be a case of déjà vu for the 35-year-old at the Mall of Asia Arena, when Folayang chopped him down with a stiff leg kick.