Lito "Thunder Kid" Adiwang had one of the most highly anticipated ONE Championship debuts following an impeccable run at Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series.
His arrival was so sought after that he made his debut in the largest martial arts event of the promotion – ONE: CENTURY PART I – last October.
With all the hype and attention surrounding his debut, pressure was expected to mount up on the fan-favorite from the highlands. But while he admittedly felt the heat, he believes the promotion’s developmental show prepared him well.
"The pressure will always be a part of the sport, but my mindset in my debut was to go all out and make sure to get the win,” Adiwang said.
“OWS gave me a good experience and it helped me in my journey as an athlete. When I was officially part of the main roster, I knew that this was my biggest chance to showcase everything that I’ve been working on. Those things helped me overcome the pressure.”
It’s not like he faced a pushover in his first match in ONE Championship, either.
Not only was he debuting in the tentpole show of the organization last year, but he also had to face the hometown hero and former Pancrase Flyweight World Champion Senzo Ikeda.
Still, Adiwang was unfazed and he walked away with a first round stoppage.
“I entered that match against Ikeda very confident because I know what will bring me to victory. I wasn’t thinking about how good or how strong he was, I was just focused on what I needed to do and not on what he planned to do with me,” Adiwang said.
“While I was nearing my debut, I was just thinking about giving it my best and getting the win at all costs. What I brought with me is my right mindset, focus, and a proper game plan.”
After a seamless transition, “The Thunder Kid” got his second win in as many matches in the main roster with another first round victory, this time against Pongsiri “The Smiling Assassin” Mitsatit.
Now over the rookie hump, Adiwang is more confident than ever and he only plans to be better moving forward.
“As I’ve said, pressure would always be there so it’s important to have a proper mindset, a goal, and a vision,” Adiwang said.
“In an athlete, those are the most important things and that’s what I am bringing as I continue to climb the division.”
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