By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
WHEN ONE Championship holds its centenary show — “ONE: Century” — on Oct. 13 in Tokyo, Japan, Team Lakay will have a new face competing from its roster of athletes in livewire strawweight fighter Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang.
A product of the highly successful ONE Warrior Series, Mr. Adiwang plays the main show of Asia’s steadily growing combats sports promotion for the first time as he takes on hometown bet Senzo Ikeda in a preliminary fight in part one the two-pronged ONE: Century event happening at the famed Ryogoku Kokugikan in Sumida City.
Mr. Adiwang (9-2) will try to get his ONE career on a winning start after earning a contract to be part of its lineup of fighters following his topping of “Warriors Series 7” in August, where he defeated Anthony Do of Vietnam by unanimous decision in the main event.
For local fight analyst Nissi Icasiano, Benguet native Adiwang is a talent to watch out for and take notice on his debut just as he said that the entry of Mr. Adiwang into ONE is a testament to the organization that Team Lakay is.
“When we talk about Team Lakay it is synonymous to Philippine MMA and throughout the years since its inception it has produced a number of homegrown talents who have competed not only in the local scene but also international. You have guys like Eduard Folayang, Geje Eustaquio and Kevin Belingon to the new generation of fighters who have established their mark like Danny Kingad, Stephen Loman and Joshua Pacio. And, now, you have Lito adding his name to that. It shows that Team Lakay is evolving and continuing to grow,” said Mr. Icasiano in an interview.
“Lito is a talented fighter who I consider as a livewire opponent. You cannot underestimate a fighter like him because he is very unpredictable but exciting. I consider him as a throwback Team Lakay fighter because he is a pure striker though he has a good takedown defense. He draws cheers because of his standup game and very effective which is very rare in MMA,” said the analyst.
Mr. Icasiano likened Mr. Adiwang to teammate and former ONE bantamweight champion Belingon, saying “they have the same style and demeanor and always go for the knockout,” adding such qualities should serve Mr. Adiwang well as he further establishes his footing in ONE.
But the analyst said Mr. Adiwang still needs to polish his game if he wants to go places.
“Lito is still a diamond in the rough but I see as a perennial contender in him. This is strawweight and he can handle it. I believe he is going to be successful and his style is great to watch,” said Mr. Icasiano.
Zeroing in on the Adiwang-Ikeda fight, the analyst said it has the makings of an explosive encounter between two highly capable strikers.
“His fight versus Ikeda is a great pairing as far as I’m concerned. To have these two strikers — Adiwang’s muay thai which he complements with wushu, and on the other hand Ikeda, a former boxer and whose boxing skills he pairs with grappling — should be a good one. Ikeda poses a problem for Adiwang as he is coming from flyweight and should have the power and size but Adiwang is a versatile fighter and has the ability to adjust,” Mr. Icasiano said.
“I see both fighters not going for the takedown and stand and bang for three rounds. I don’t see it going the full route,” he added.
