Team Lakay phenom Lito Adiwang made sure his ONE debut was an event to remember as he defeated Pancrase World Champion Senzo Ikeda of Japan via technical knockout in Sunday’s ONE: Century at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan, where he was the only Filipino winner.
Nicknamed Thunder Kid, the 26-year-old Adiwang had Ikeda surrendering late in the first round via an armlock. The Japanese apparently had a broken elbow after the fight.
“The preparations set everything here. We prepared hard and smart. Alam naman natin na hindi birong kalaban itong si Senzo, he is a warrior. Even if his arm was broken, sumisigaw pa siya na ‘no, no,’” said Adiwang, who won his 10th fight in 12 outings.
“Expect more from me,” he vowed.
In the second Filipino fight, Danny Kingad fell short against American legend Demetrius Johnson, who pulled off a unanimous triumph with his dominant ground game.
The mixed martial arts legend Johnson set up a juicy clash for the ONE Flyweight world championship held by Brazilian Adrian Moraes, probably in March, 2020.
Another Team Lakay standout in Kevin Belingon failed to snatch Bibiano Fernandes’ ONE Bantamweight title and lost the bout in the second round via rear-naked choke.
The crafty Fernandes was in command with his excellent ground game for the most part of the abbreviated contest, none more telling than with 1:30 left in the second round when he forced Belingon to tap out.
It was the fourth and may have been the last battle between the two as the Brazilian champion empathically secured the win.
On the other hand, former ONE Featherweight titlist Honorio Banario suffered the quickest loss from among the Filipinos as he tapped out in 54 seconds of the first round, bowing to former lightweight champion Shinya Aoki of Japan via a bout-ending D'Arce choke.
Meanwhile, ONE Heavyweight champion Brandon Vera failed in his mission to grab Aung Lang N Sang’s ONE Light Heavyweight crown as he lost by TKO in the second round.