[autotag]Pieter Buist[/autotag] sprung an upset in Manila when he stepped in on short notice and defeated former two-time ONE lightweight champion Eduard Folayang at “ONE Championship 107: Fire & Fury.”
Now, after helping keep the card intact by stepping in to face the Filipino fan-favorite, he wants ONE to repay him by giving him a title shot.
Buist’s split-decision victory over Folayang on the main card at Mall of Asia Arena this past Friday, was his second successive short-notice call-up. He followed up his victory over Tony Caruso in his previous outing with the biggest win of his ONE Championship career.
“I won the fight. I thought it was weird that it was split, but I’m happy I won,” he said afterward. “It was really an honor to fight him. He’s a legend, he’s a former champion, and for me, this was a huge step up.”
Now, after claiming such a significant victory following a short-notice call-up, Buist thinks he has done enough to deserve a shot at championship gold.
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“I helped the company two times because my last fight in Jakarta was on three weeks’ notice. But I love ONE. They are like a family to me, and if I can help them out, I always will – but not too much,” he said.
“I’m on an eight-bout winning streak. I’m 15-4. What more do they want? I came in my last fight, it was against an undefeated fighter on three weeks’ notice. Now on two weeks’ notice against a legend and a former champion, now I have bragging rights. I want the champion. I’m gunning for the champion. That’s who I want, and that’s who I feel I deserve.”
The ONE lightweight title currently is held by Christian Lee, who also captured the ONE lightweight grand prix title last year. The lightweight division is packed with contenders, with returning Russian Timofey Nastyukhin, who handed Eddie Alvarez a knockout loss in the former UFC and Bellator champion’s ONE debut, also gunning for a title shot upon his return from injury.
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Another man looking to position himself for a shot at the title is former featherweight champion Marat Gafurov, who makes his move up to the lightweight division to face undefeated Moldovan contender Iuri Lapicus at “ONE Championship 108: Warrior’s Code” on Friday.
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