Full Card Revealed For The Inner Circle 21 On July 10
Two of ONE Championship’s most iconic Filipino competitors will showcase their skills in Asia primetime on live.onefc.com exclusively for members of The Inner Circle at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, July 10.
At The Inner Circle 21, seven-time ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio defends his gold against old foe Mansur Malachiev in the headliner, just after former three-time ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang bumps chests with Shozo “The Great Teacher” Isojima in the co-main event.
The first time Pacio and Malachiev traded blows at ONE Fight Night 15 in October 2023, the Filipino had just lost his belt to Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks. Pacio was determined to get it back, but he had to prove himself against the Russian, who entered the fight as an undefeated MMA juggernaut.
Pacio returned to old form, grinding down a unanimous decision win to hand Malachiev his first loss and get another crack at Brooks. Pacio went on to face the American in a rematch, only for the bout to end in disqualification due to an illegal slam from Brooks. The Lions Nation MMA fighter redeemed himself 10 months later at ONE 171: Qatar, finishing his rival in the second round by TKO.
While Pacio clawed his way back to the top of the division, Malachiev was rebuilding himself into one of the strawweight division’s most terrifying fighters. After his loss to the Filipino, Malachiev stormed through former divisional ruler Yosuke “The Ninja” Saruta and Bokang “Little Giant” Masunyane before submitting Brooks at ONE Fight Night 35 in October 2025.
Now the two are set to collide once again, with each man’s confidence riding higher than ever.
Folayang is as legendary as they come. He’s had 25 bouts in ONE and headlined the very first promotional event, ONE: Champion VS. Champion, in September 2011. Over the years, “Landslide” won the ONE Lightweight MMA World Title twice, defeating Japanese MMA legend Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki to capture the belt for the first time in November 2016.
He defended his strap one time before losing it to Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen, although Folayang regained his throne one year later.
The co-founder of Lions Nation MMA faces Isojima, who is desperate to rebound after two consecutive losses. The Japanese fighter entered ONE with a show-stopping win over Nicolas “El Paisa” Vigna in October 2025, only to drop his next two bouts.
Now the 28-year-old is determined to score a win over one of the promotion’s most experienced fighters. But Folayang, who’s seen and faced almost every type of mixed martial artist there is, won’t be an easy win.
The Inner Circle 21 Full Card
- Joshua Pacio vs. Mansur Malachiev (ONE Strawweight MMA World Championship)
- Eduard Folayang vs. Shozo Isojima (MMA – lightweight)
- Detchawalit Silkmuaythai vs. Tom Casse (Muay Thai – bantamweight)
- Elies Abdelali vs. Ali Kelat (Muay Thai – featherweight)
