Adrian “The Hunter” Pang, 40, of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia did not receive a warm reception in his past encounter against an opponent from Team Lakay. But he is all praises when it comes to the grit and determination that have been exemplified by the combatants of the mixed martial arts team based in La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines.

Pang was unsuccessful when he faced Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, 34, of Team Lakay in 2016. Recently, the former did not mince words about his admiration for the team’s formula in producing top-notch homegrown talents.

“Team Lakay is an outstanding camp,” Pang said. “I’ve faced Eduard Folayang before he became the ONE Lightweight World Champion. He was so tough and a gallant competitor. He also has a big heart.”

“Team Lakay fighters compete with their pride and heart,” Pang added. “I like this kind of martial artists because I have the same mentality.”

On August 13, 2016, Pang and Folayang co-headlined of “ONE: Heroes of the World” in Macao, China. The Filipino contender may have had his hand raised in triumph at the end by way of unanimous decision but he went through the eye of a needle in a grueling three-round battle with his Australian opponent.

“Eduard just kept on firing with strikes from all angles,” Pang said. “He was maintaining his distance, so he could throw his heavy right hand and fancy kicks. He was always one step ahead in that bout.”

Clearly, Folayang had the advantage in the stand-up department from bell to bell. He dropped Pang to the canvas twice with a spinning backfist in the dying seconds of the first round and a sneaky-but-solid right straight in the opening moments of the final frame.

In addition, Folayang peppered Pang with inside leg kicks and consistently bombarded his opponent’s defensive guard with well-executed spinning back kicks to the midsection. But despite Folayang’s chafing activity on that night, it was not enough to secure the finish against his Australian opponent.

Pang had his opening in the third canto by maintaining a sturdy top control on the canvas to pummel his Filipino foe with elbows and short punches. The former noted, “I had my momentum midway of the third round of the fight when I caught him on the ground, but he managed to reverse the position.”

“He was ready,” Pang said of Folayang. “We all knew what happened after our cage meeting. He beat Shinya Aoki and became a champion. He was ripe to be in that position.”

After losing to Folayang, Pang had two consecutive losses. The Australia fighter, who originally was from Papua New Guinea, lost to Roger Huerta via split decision on November 11, 2016 and to Amir Khan via unanimous decision on November 24, 2017.

On April 20, 2018, Pang will face Folayang’s fellow Team Lakay fighter Honorio “The Rock” Banario, 28, in the lightweight division at “ONE: Heroes of Honor” at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines. Pang said, “I’ve still got it, I believe.”

“I still feel I can keep doing it against the best,” Pang continued. “I know I came up short in my last few fights but I am still hungry. The title is out of the question right now. I just want to give fans a good, exciting contest.”