Team Lakay fighters are known to keep their cool. But it appears new ONE Championship signee Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks struck a chord with the Igorot warriors and Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang is not backing down.
“I think he’s just an unlucky guy who talks and acts like a monkey. I guess that’s why he calls himself ‘The Monkey God’ because he will try to bluff and get in his opponents’ head before the fight and that’s really all he could do,” Adiwang said.
That’s why Adiwang is looking forward to his strawweight clash against Brooks, which takes place at ONE: NEXTGEN III, a tape-delayed event from Singapore that airs on Nov. 26. The “Thunder Kid” can’t wait to put the American in his place.
“I am ready to humble him and show him that the lions in this division eat monkeys like him for breakfast,” the 28-year-old Baguio-based fighter said.
For Adiwang, this fight is all about earning respect.
From the moment Brooks came to the scene in ONE Championship, the American wasn’t shy in directing his verbal attacks at the reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio, telling the Filipino titlist that he would “rip him apart” and show that he’s the undisputed best strawweight in the world.
And how proverbial is it that it is Adiwang who Brooks has drawn for his promotional debut?
This fight between the ONE Super Series contract winner and the Fight Matrix Strawweight Lineal Champion is seven months in the making. That was until Adiwang tested positive for COVID-19 and forced the bout’s cancellation.
Since then, the Filipino rising star has come back stronger, besting Chinese foe Hexigetu at ONE: REVOLUTION back in September with a dominant unanimous decision triumph as he has won nine of his last 10 fights.
Now, Adiwang can turn his attention back to Brooks as he also seeks to unveil his continued development in his gradual ascent in the strawweight division.
“I’ve improved from my last fight. I think that I’m a smarter, stronger, and tougher fighter now who’s ready to continue winning in the strawweight division,” he said.
“The cancellation of our original match, I think, is also a blessing in disguise as it gave me more time to study his style and check on his strengths and weaknesses. With those in mind, I think I can accomplish my goals when I fight him and that is to humble him inside the ONE Circle,” Adiwang added. (ONE Championship) – bny
