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.” Parr fought his first retirement fight against K-1 veteran Jordan Tai, fighting full Thai rules in an MMA cage with fingerless 5-ounce gloves, and knocked his opponent out in the fourth round. The rest is history, as he extended his career for a further 10 years. ONE X: new world title belt ushers in new ONE Championship era “So we started in 2012, we did 10 shows [with the smaller gloves] and it was fun. But to see Mr Chatri [Sityodtong, ONE chairman and CEO] take on Muay Thai with MMA gloves and raise it to the elite level with the best of the best, it just makes me so proud to be one of the pioneers to help evolve the whole sport. “To see it in the world standing as it is now is mind-blowing, I can’t thank Mr Chatri enough for taking the idea and running with it and putting it on the world stage.” Parr moved to Thailand in 1996 and lived in a Muay Thai camp for four years, training in Pattaya and Bangkok, where he competed in 30 fights and won two world titles. He gained popularity – and his nickname – from the Thai public for his trademark “Gunslinger” gesture, where he drew an imaginary pistol, before each bout. “It’s such an amazing opportunity to finish my career at such an amazing promotion,” Parr said. “Mr Chatri has given me the opportunity to retire on the world stage in front of everyone. “I’ve been so fortunate to fight at Lumpinee and Rajadamnern on the King’s birthdays, and achieve so much in Thailand. Thailand is amazing, but it’s not a world platform like ONE Championship is going to provide. “Not many people know the Muay Thai stars, and because of ONE, all of a sudden the Thais are having the shine and people are becoming household names, like Stamp [Fairtex] and Rodtang [Jitmuangnon]. Hopefully with an exciting finish I can be among those great legends as well. I’m going to try to put on the craziest fight you can see. I’m looking forward to sharing the cage with a legend like Eduard.” Chatri, speaking at the pre-fight press conference at Singapore Indoor Stadium, insisted Parr will be remembered as a legend “no matter what” happens on Saturday. “When he was a 17-year-old kid with nothing, dirt poor, he went to Thailand and slept in the gyms,” Chatri said. “He was accepted in Thailand at a time when foreigners were not welcome. He lived a true Thai warrior’s life. “John Wayne, you’re very, very modest. You’re up there with the likes of Ramon Dekkers and Rob Kaman. This is how I remember your career, so I wish you and Eduard the best of luck in this legend versus legend fight.” After a second-round TKO defeat by Nieky Holzken on his ONE debut last year, Parr asked Chatri to give him the chance to go out on a high – but Chatri was not interested in giving him a lay-up fight. “John Wayne is a friend, and he asked if he could have his final fight in ONE, and attempt to have his 100th victory,” Chatri said. “I said yes, but that it has to be a 50-50 fight – I’m not gonna give you an easy fight. “So as we looked down the roster, we saw Eduard is a fun striker, he hits hard. We thought about the fun factor and the legend factor, it just makes sense. His background might be wushu, but he has dynamite in his hands and his legs. If John Wayne blinks he’ll be KO’d, and the same thing for Eduard. They both possess big ferocious knockout power. I don’t see it going the distance, I think it will end in the first round.” Asked by the Post if he would feel sad for being the party pooper with a victory on Saturday, Folayang laughed. “Well, this is martial arts,” the 37-year-old Filipino said. “At the end of the day, we’ll be facing each other. We see each other as hindrances in each other’s way, so we will just put it all in the ring.”