THE new kid on the block is all primed up for his homecoming bout.
Lito Adiwang of Team Lakay seeks to continue his winning streak on January 31 against Pongsiri Mitsatit at ONE: Fire & Fury at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Ever since his debut in Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series (OWS), Adiwang has been on a tear and has dominated his opponents, and his success has carried over to ONE Championship.
Though his opponent, Mitsatit may be one of the straw weight division’s most dangerous strikers, Adiwang says he will do whatever it takes to put on a show.
“I plan to trade strikes with him first. I’ll test my striking skills with him, but it depends. If there are chances to counter (in other aspects), I’ll do it. I’ll mix it up,” Adiwang says.
“If it becomes a battle of counters, the match might be boring. I want to stand toe-to-toe with him and that’s why I prepared hard for that. If he becomes a counter-striker, I will then mix it up.”
Adiwang said he will seek for a finish but it will depend on where Mitsatit wants the bout to go, either on the ground or thru striking.
Adiwang’s motivation to deliver a standout performance has only been enhanced by the fact he will compete in his homeland as a ONE athlete for the first time. Even though his victorious debut came under the brightest lights of all at the biggest show in martial arts history, ONE: Century – where he scored a quick TKO of Senzo Ikeda – a match in front of his expectant compatriots will bring its own pressure.
Fire & Fury will be headlined by Adiwang’s fellow Team Lakay and reigning straw weight world champion Joshua Pacio who will try to make his compatriots proud and leave the Philippine capital with the belt around his waist, but former titleholder Alex Silva will do everything in his power to take the gold back to Singapore.
Silva, a Copa do Mundo Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, has used his elite submission skills to score back-to-back armbar victories and earn another crack at the title.
The Singapore-based Brazilian has won 89 percent of his bouts via submission, and he believes his grappling magic will be his key to victory on Friday, January 31.
Pacio, however, is no slouch on the ground. Not only has he performed well against grapplers such as former world champion Yoshitaka Naito, but the wushu specialist has elevated his BJJ game in recent years.
That is reflected in his win ratio too, as 56 percent of his victories have come via submission – including his latest conquest of Rene Catalan.
Both of these athletes have well-rounded repertoires with clearly defined strengths, making the world title bout between the prodigious young lion and the hungry accomplished veteran a can’t miss affair.