Lito Adiwang eager to prove Team Lakay’s ground game

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Lito Adiwang, one of the fastest rising stars in the ONE Fighting Championship, wants to fight former strawweight champion Yoshitaka Naito and prove that Team Lakay can get it done on the canvass.

The current fifth-ranked strawweight is determined to prove that Team Lakay not only excels in striking but can also grapple with the best.

“He’s an excellent grappler, and you know he will try to force you to play his game on the ground. That’s why it’s a perfect test for me,” said Adiwang.

Naito, who once held the strawweight belt, is the second-seeded fighter in the division and Adiwang is eager to square off against him in his quest for a title shot.

Adiwang became one of the most notable strawweights after clinching back-to-back wins as an official fighter under ONE, racking up his winning streak to 6.

For Team Lakay and Adiwang, clinching one win from one of the most elite grapplers in the league would boost his shot for the title and add to the team’s success in the ring.

“I want the fans to appreciate the hard work that we’re putting in each day to improve our skills on the ground. I won my last two fights via submission, but there are still a lot of negative comments saying that I only won on the ground because I took on strikers,” Adiwang added.