Cordillera mixed martial artist Lito Adiwang will be back in action when he faces Indonesian striker Adrian Mattheis in the undercard of the biggest edition of ONE Friday Fights at the historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Sept. 22.
Adiwang, who is currently training overseas after his departure from Team Lakay early this year, has not fought since March 2022 when he suffered defeat in the hands of fellow Filipino campaigner Jeremy Miado due to knee injury.
Prior to that, Adiwang fought former ONE flyweight world champion Jarred Brooks in October 2021 with the former losing via arm triangle choke submission.
The 30-year-old Adiwang has been itching to return from a recurring knee injury, which has kept him out of action for more than a year. Now, he is back to full fitness and ready to compete again.
With time to rehabilitate his injury and level up his skills at HIIT Studio in Bali, Indonesia, Adiwang is aiming to remind fans why he was considered a serious threat to the top order.
The upcoming bout could also be an acid test for Adiwang in his bid to climb the division ranking, as Mattheis is the leading finisher in the history of ONE’s strawweight MMA division.
The Indonesian fighter has used his concussive punches to rack up some big wins, including one over former divisional king Alex Silva and he also has an attacking submission game to make him dangerous in every range.
With nine wins and eight finishes in his last 12 matches, Mattheis owns the confidence to go on the front foot against anybody, even an opponent as explosive as Adiwang.
Packing experience and power, both athletes have a solid foundation to build back toward the division’s upper echelon, and a statement victory in Bangkok would push them closer to that goal. – Harley F. Palangchao with reports from ONE
