Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang believes that things have to change if he wants to progress in his career in ONE Championship.
Adiwang returns to action this Friday, January 22, when he takes on Japanese Mixed Martial Arts Champion Namiki Kawahara at ONE: UNBREAKABLE at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, and the former wants to show a different side of himself.
His loss to Hiroba Minowa last year at ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX III convinced Adiwang to change his gung-ho approach to a more tactical one.
“Against Minowa, I went there and exhausted all my power in the first round. I thought I can just come in and finish him quickly,” Adiwang said.
“So that’s the biggest takeaway I have from that match. Upon seeing the results, I thought maybe I should take it slow next time, be more technical and get the win.”
The 27-year-old will have a lot to prove entering this match, especially after he saw his momentum derailed in the loss to Minowa.
Coming in as a favorite after winning his last seven matches – including two first round wins – Adiwang burst his bubble, and he believes it’s because of his own undoing.
“I have to prove that I only had an off-night against Minowa. I made a lot of mistakes back in that match, like in my preparation and weight management for example,” Adiwang said.
“That’s the reason I wasn’t able to perform to what was expected of me and what I wanted to do.
“At least I learned from that match and I was able to see the things that I need to improve on.”
Though he promises to be more mindful this time around, that doesn’t mean he won’t be just as exciting.
“Everytime I enter the Circle, I am always looking for the finish. Whether I’m aggressive or technical, I still want to go for that big finish,” Adiwang said.
“I don’t want to be boring. I’m a fighter, but also at the same time, I’m a fan. If I’m watching myself, I don’t want a boring fight. I want it to still be exciting. I want to be watchable, but at the same time I have to think as well.”
Watch ONE: UNBREAKABLE live and for free on One Sports and One Sports+ or the ONE Super App at 8:30 p.m. Philippine Standard Time (PHT).
Also, TV5 will air the action on a next-day delay at 11 p.m. PHT on Saturday, January 23.
