The much-awaited strawweight showdown between Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang and “Wolf of the Grasslands” Hexigetu is finally happening at ONE: Revolution on Sept. 24.
A match that has been nine months in the making will finally show who is the superior talent.
The bout was originally slated for ONE: UNBREAKABLE last January but travel restrictions in Hebei, China due to the spike of COVID-19 cases forced Hexigetu to skip the event.
Regardless, Adiwang was still looking forward to mixing it up with the proud sanda expert from Horqin, Inner Mongolia.
“I wasn’t disappointed that I wasn’t able to meet him last January, but I really wanted to fight him,” Adiwang said.
The unforeseen changes left Adiwang without a dance partner, one which Deep Strawweight Champion Namiki Kawahara of Japan filled in at the last minute.
Although the Philippine National Wushu Champion had to scamper with his preparations after being just given a week to shift his game plan, he wasn’t shy in showing his prowess, tagging his Japanese foe with a killer left hook to score the second-round knockout win.
For the Team Lakay rising star, this felt like a blessing in disguise as he had a chance to test his mettle against Kawahara, himself a lethal striker as he continued to ascend in the ONE strawweight division.
“I feel fortunate, actually, that the changes led to a match against Namiki, which we already know how that ended up,” he said.
Adiwang believes that there’s a reason why stars aligned that way, and true enough, he did get a second chance to face Hexigetu in this upcoming Singapore card.
“That cancelled fight against Hexigetu only gave us and my team more time to study him and learn his style,” he quipped.
The 28-year-old understands how dangerous of an opponent Hexigetu is, citing the Chinese’s explosiveness as a point of concern.
“I know that he’s as solid as a fighter as they come. We know how explosive he can be, so it’s something that we really are watching for.”
It’s truly something worth keeping an eye on for the Filipino stud, especially with Hexigetu on a three-fight win streak, going unbeaten since March 2019 when he beat “The Enigma” Ovais Shah of Pakistan via unanimous decision at ONE: WARRIORS OF LIGHT in Bangkok.
Adiwang, though, is on a tear of his own, winning eight of his last nine fights.
The only defeat tasted by the ONE Super Series winner was a shock split decision loss to Japanese contender Hiroba Minowa at ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX III last November, a defeat he still wants to redeem himself from.
“Honestly, I know that I have to beat someone in the top five to earn my place there. Actually, I am ready to face anyone of those in the top five,” he said.
Doing so would certainly bode well for Adiwang’s plans to remain in title contention as he looks to make up for lost time inside the ONE Circle.
It doesn’t mean, however, that Adiwang is already looking past Hexigetu.
For him, though, winning over the Chinese is his first step in making those dreams a reality.
“I have to win against him if I want to make those dreams a reality,” he said. (PR) -bny
