Eddie Alvarez made the jump to ONE Championship although his debut match wasn't exactly an explosive one. He lost to Timofey Nastykuhin via surprising first-round knockout, something pundits did not expect. And while most feel pressure is mounting on the 35-year-old, it appears he is not worried about it and is, in fact, ready to take on his next challenger - Eduard Folayang of Team Lakay in the Philippines.

Alvarez and Folayang have fairly similar stories, both fighting their way out of poverty. And while "Landslide" has become a familiar name in the ONE Championship world, the same holds true for Alvarez when he was still part of the UFC. Heading into ONE: Dawn of Heroes which happens on August 2, 2019, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Philippines, Both stars collide in a semifinal match of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix.

Both Alvarez and Folayang will be looking for redemption after both MMA fighters suffered (quick) losses at ONE: A New Era in Japan back in March. Like Alvarez, Folayang also fell to grappler and former ONE lightweight champion Shinya Aoki in quick fashion. Both will now try to get over those losses and try to get back on the winning track.

For Folayang, having his hometown behind him is a huge advantage. However, the Team Lakay star is not entirely banking on that, aware of what Alvarez brings to the cage.

"This will be an explosive fight,” Folayang said via Tempo.com.ph. “What I can promise is that this will be a great fight because we’ve worked hard for it during training.”

One of Folayang's goals is to score a knockout win against Alvarez, something that he could achieve with the right timing. Known for his spinning backfists, such is something that Alvarez and his camp are expected to watch out for on August 2 at the MOA.

On the part of the Underground King, a losing debut is nothing new. He revealed how he lost his debuts at the UFC and Bellator but still managed to bounce back.

“Look, I got the first one out of the way. I lost, no problem. I did the same thing in the UFC [against Donald Cerrone] and I honestly almost did the same thing in my debut in Bellator. I got dropped terribly. My debut in Bellator against an Irish kid (Greg Loughran) that no one knew. I got caught pretty clean," said Alvarez via the Manila Bulletin.

Now it all boils down to who will be hungrier and better prepared at ONE: Dawn of Heroes happening on August 2, 2019, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.