From the early beginnings of Team Lakay, legendary coach Mark Sangiao knew he had a gem in Stephen Loman.
It was only a matter of time for everyone to see how capable his debuting ward would be in Asia’s largest martial arts organization, ONE Championship.
Yet Sangiao’s wait didn’t really need to be that long as Loman seemingly shot like a cannon in his first fight inside the ONE circle when he wasted no time stopping erstwhile third-ranked contender Yusup Saadulaev last December.
Relying on his heavy hands, Loman battered Saadulaev with powerful punches that forced the referee to call for the bell at the 4:09 mark of the first round, a resounding victory for his first fight in ONE Championship.
As much as Loman turned heads in his promotional debut, it was something that Sangiao expected.
“I was not surprised knowing the fight record and experiences of Stephen and that he was a long reigning champion for some years in another promotion,” he said.
Another thing that Sangiao anticipated was Loman shooting up the official rankings at ONE, going up as high as taking Saadulaev’s spot at the top three.
With a performance like that, Loman certainly put everyone on notice that he could be considered as a potential opponent for those listed over him, especially the reigning ONE bantamweight world champion Bibiano Fernandes and the next challenger John Lineker.
Fortunately for him, Sangiao has already walked this path before with former ONE bantamweight world champion Kevin Belingon, and though that ride turned out to be short, what’s more important were the lessons the Baguio-based stable got along the way – one that they aim to use with the next generation now in tow.
Sangiao expects Loman’s star to continue to shine as he braces for more top-flight fighters in the weight class.
Who knows? It won’t be long for him to get his crack at the crown. – ONE release
April 19, 2024
