By CARLO ANOLIN
Team Lakay strawweight contender Lito Adiwang will be going for redemption when he faces Japanese Namiki Kawahara in ONE: Unbreakable on Friday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Adiwang vowed to go all-out when he takes on Kawahara as he intends to put his heart-rending defeat to Hiroba Minowa behind.
Adiwang saw his seven-match win streak snap after a controversial loss against Minowa, who many fans believed had tapped out from the Filipino’s kimura lock attempt.
That is why when he learned that another Japanese opponent is set to replace Hexigetu of China, who had travel issues en route to Singapore, Adiwang was ecstatic.
“Oo noong nabalitaan ko na Japanese yung ipapalit nila, na-excite ako, may konting excitement na parang okay, magandang laban ito,” said Adiwang, who’s very vocal on having a rematch with Minowa.
“Alam naman natin kasi toughness and mindset ng mga athletes ng Japan, hindi sila naggi-give up. So magiging magandang laban ‘to.”
Against Kawahara, holding a 6-3-2 win-loss-draw record, the Team Lakay stalwart will be facing a ONE Championship debutant known for his striking prowess.
Despite the numerous adjustments, Adiwang and coach Mark Sangiao are confident that they still have the edge against Kahawara and vowed to give an explosive showing.
“I’ll just want to make sure na manalo ako dito in all cause, kahit iba kalaban natin, we have a lot of chances na i-cancel or i-hold yung fight pero sa akin I need to get back there and give a show,” said the former No. 5 strawweight contender, admitting that he’s still having a hard time rewatching the tape against Minowa. “Gusto ko balikan ‘yung position and to climb higher doon sa spot. So we’re back.”
Adiwang and Kawahara will face in the first installation of the three-part Unbreakable series, marking ONE Championship’s first live event in 2021.
