“Thunder Kid” will be hoping to re-enter the stacked division’s top five when he meets No. 5-ranked contender Keito Yamakita at ONE Fight Night 28: Prajanchai vs. Barboza this Saturday, 8th February, inside Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
With a 10-3 slate, Adiwang is unquestionably a proven commodity in ONE. But the Filipino fan favourite openly admits he’s had issues with self-belief during his tenure, and the debilitating knee injury he suffered against Jeremy Miado in 2022 derailed his plans for a short time.
However, that all seems to be behind him now. The 31-year-old is currently riding a three-fight winning streak in the world’s largest martial arts organization, and he feels more prepared than ever to shake up the World Title conversation.
“I’m on fire. I have this killer mindset now. I feel like I’m back to my old mentality, the feeling that I had when I was with ONE Warrior Series. After my first loss, after all the personal things hit me, I felt like I was struggling with my confidence. Now, I know that my confidence is back. The fire is back. And especially, my killer instinct is back,” Adiwang stated.
“This is Thunder Kid’s era. This is my time. I’ll definitely do my best to beat the top five and fight for the belt. I’m picturing myself as the champion in this division by the year’s end.”
Adiwang’s most recent run of success dates back to September 2023, when he toppled ONE Championship mainstay Adrian Mattheis at ONE Friday Fight 34.
That led to a clinical unanimous decision win against Jeremy Miado at ONE Fight Night 16 two months later and another over Danial Williams at ONE Fight Night 19 last February.
“Thunder Kid” has every right to be confident in his abilities, given his form. But he’d want to be careful against Yamakita this weekend.
The Japanese star debuted with a decision win over former ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Alex Silva in 2023, and he has gone on to score victories over Miado and another former titleholder in Yosuke Saruta since.
Yamakita’s wrestling acumen has made him one of the strongest forces in the division, but Adiwang is convinced he’s got all bases covered to take his winning streak to four at ONE Fight Night 28.
“He’s truly a grinder. He has very beautiful wrestling and excellent pressure. On my part, I have to make sure that I get to hit him before he tries to control me,” he said.
“So that’s what we’re working on right now. We have to make sure that we’re not just defending, but also attacking him in that situation as well.”
