ONE X: ‘The Gunslinger’ John Wayne Parr gears up for final shoot-out with Eduard Folayang
- Legendary Australian goes for 100th career win in final fight of storied career, with 45-year-old to hang up his gloves win or lose
- ‘I’ve been so fortunate to fight at Lumpinee and Rajadamnern on the King’s birthdays … Hopefully with an exciting finish I can be among those great legends,’ Parr says
ONE Championship’s Super Series Muay Thai division owes a lot to John Wayne Parr.
So it’s fitting that the legendary Australian will call an end to his career, win or lose, at the Asian martial arts promotion’s 10th anniversary showcase, ONE X, on Saturday night in Singapore.
The 45-year-old Australian takes on Filipino former ONE lightweight MMA champion Eduard Folayang in a Muay Thai clash with four-ounce gloves at Singapore Indoor Stadium, having pioneered the use of smaller gloves in the sport.
“It was humbling to come up with the idea in 2012 to try and make Muay Thai more exciting,” Parr said at Wednesday’s press conference. “Being a big fan of MMA and seeing the guys fighting in the cage, and thinking I’d love to fight in the cage one day, it would be a buzz.
“People were doing Muay Thai in the cage but they were doing it with the big gloves, and it just looked strange. I thought if I want to do this, I just have to do it with MMA gloves. If I want to get the respect from the MMA crowd, I have to do it in the same environment.”