When Team Lakay’s Lito Adiwang returns to the ONE Championship circle in January, he will not only bear the pressure of a quick turnaround from an injury, but also carries with him the memories of his father who passed away in October.
Adiwang takes on Mansur Malachiev of Russia at ONE Fight Night 6 on Jan. 4 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, and he will be highly motivated to bounce back in the most impressive fashion for his old man.
The Team Lakay dynamo tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his all-Filipino match against Jeremy Miado at ONE X in March, and after going under the knife in May to reconstruct his torn ligament, Adiwang needed just six months to recover and prepare for this.
From the injury to the recovery to the unexpected loss, Adiwang knows that there’s only one thing that can get his head straight – martial arts and competition.
“With the trials in my career and life, I have tasted defeat in the game, injury, and losses in life. It is painful and demora-lizing. I did reach my breaking point, but if I succumb to this emotional and painful feeling, this can be my downfall,” Adiwang said.
It is such a burden for Adiwang to bear, especially since he specifically asked his father to hold on for just a bit longer to see him compete in Bangkok.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t meant to be, and now he’s co-ming into Thailand’s capital fired up, knowing his parents will be watching over him.
“With the help of martial arts, I know that I can put my pain and frustration into training and it can ease my pain. I got something that I will put my mind and focus on. Also, I want to fulfill my promise to my father to fight in January,” he added. – ONE release
