Filipino ONE Championship newcomer, Jhanlo “The Machine” Sangiao, son of legendary Team Lakay head coach Mark Sangiao, will be stepping into the Circle against Indonesia’s very own Paul “The Great King” Lumihi.
The two fighters will go head-to-head in a bantamweight MMA clash at ONE: Winter Warriors II, a previously recorded event from the Singapore Indoor Stadium set for broadcast via tape delay on Friday, Dec. 17.
The 19-year-old Sangiao comes from Team Lakay fame – the Philippines’ most prolific martial arts outfit. Lumihi, meanwhile, is a ONE Championship veteran looking to turn his career around. Needless to say, there’s a lot at stake in this incredible bout.
In a recent interview with ONE Championship, the younger Sangiao shared his thoughts on the Lumihi fight.
“I think he’s the oldest fighter I’ve faced,” Sangiao said of Lumihi, who is 14 years his senior.
“I’ve faced older men in the amateurs but not this old, they’re like 28. But I feel like youth is an advantage of mine. I feel like I’m stronger, I’m younger and I can beat him.”
The 33-year-old Lumihi is a former OPMMA Featherweight Champion with years of fighting experience at the professional and amateur levels. He is well-versed in martial arts styles such as kung fu, taekwondo, wushu, Muay Thai, and the like. It’s certainly safe to say that Lumihi represents the toughest challenge of Sangiao’s blossoming career thus far.
Breaking down their stylistic matchup, Sangiao believes he holds several key advantages that he says will be the difference in this fight.
“Based on what I’ve seen, he’s more of a striker but he tends to struggle when the fight hits the mat, he either gets submitted or gets punished on the ground. But it doesn’t matter, wherever this match goes, I feel like I can take him on. But of course, I don’t want to be overconfident,” Sangiao said.
“Of course I am the better striker. I feel like I have the edge over him in a lot of stuff. I’m younger, much more powerful and I get to train with some of the best strikers in the world. World champions like Joshua Pacio, I get to train with Danny Kingad and of course my sparring partner is the most lethal striker in ONE in Kevin Belingon.”
Being a member of Team Lakay, Sangiao has access to some of the most talented and experienced world champions in ONE Championship. Guys include former ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, former ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon, and reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio, among others.
“That’s why I am confident that I am better than him at striking,” Sangiao said.
Lumihi feels equally as confident of victory. But no matter who has the advantages in this fight, it’s all about imposing the will and game plan. For the young “Machine,” he’s expecting the unexpected and will be looking to capitalize on every opportunity.
“Anything can happen, but of course I want to get that bonus whether that submission or knockout. When that opportunity comes I’ll be taking it,” Sangiao said.
ONE: Winter Warriors II is the final event for ONE Championship in 2021, and is the second of the “Winter Warriors” series.
In the main event, no. 2 ranked flyweight contender Danny “The King” Kingad takes on no. 4 ranked contender Kairat “The Kazakh” Akhmetov. (ONE Championship) – bny