Rising mixed martial artist Jhanlo Mark Sangiao remained grateful in defeat, as he assured his fans he will come back as a better fighter following his first professional MMA loss in Bangkok, Thailand on weekend.
The 20-year-old son of Team Lakay chair Mark Sangiao suffered an upset loss to Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu in their bantamweight bout at ONE Fight Night 13.
The 34-year-old Mongolian fighter rocked Sangiao with a crushing right elbow at the opening of the second round before he went for a takedown and controlled the fight from there.
Baatarkhuu was relentless in targeting Sangiao’s right arm before he finally secured a kimura submission win in the second stanza.
Sangiao, who have won two $50,000 performance fight bonuses in his past two fights, opened the fight as the more dominant fighter when he landed an array of strikes and blooded his opponent’s right eye before the end of round one.
In his post-fight post, Sangiao expressed gratitude to countless individuals who sent him encou-raging messages, but declared the result of the fight will make him a better fighter.
“I do not regret what happened, as this will make me a better fighter,” Sangiao said, as he also thanked individuals and groups such as Fairtex and Benguet Rep. Eric Go Yap for supporting the athletes and teams representing the Philippines in the global stage.
He also thanked ONE top honcho Chatri Sityodtong for always giving Filipino fighters the opportunity to showcase their fighting skills in Asia’s home of martial arts. – Harley F. Palangchao
