Lito Adiwang, Jhanlo Sangiao, and Stephen Loman are just three of Pinoy MMA stars to watch out for at ONE Championship this year.
It’s been a busy first half of the year for Filipino ONE Championship stars.
Big names like ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion
Joshua “The Passion” Pacio and presumed future ONE Atomweight MMA world title challenger
Denice “The Menace” Zamboanga all had victorious returns in 2024.
The year so far has also shown us the graduation of Team Lakay’s
Carlo “The Bull” Bumina-ang to ONE Championship’s main roster, while former Team Lakay stars
Danny “The King” Kingad and
Jeremy “The Juggernaut” Pacatiw debuted for their new team Lions Nation MMA.
But with six months to go before 2024 ends, there are still plenty of big names who we could see in action during the second half of the year.
Stephen “The Sniper” Loman
Stephen Loman announced his decision to join Eduard Folayang and Lions Nation MMA during the squad’s first anniversary last month, and he’s someone who’s raring to get back into the ONE Circle.
Suffering his first loss in seven years late last year against former ONE Bantamweight MMA world champion John Lineker, the second-ranked bantamweight contender is eager for a rebound win as he continues to eye divisional king Fabricio Andrade.
With a renewed mindset and a fresh team to work with, Loman’s next fight will certainly be interesting.
Jhanlo “The Machine” Sangiao
Like Loman, second-generation martial artist Jhanlo Sangiao ended 2023 with a submission loss to Mongolian powerhouse Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu.
But like his former teammate in Loman, that loss didn’t diminish his stock.
The 21-year-old remains one of the most promising rising stars in ONE Championship as the Team Lakay flag-bearer possesses a more well-rounded skill set compared to those who came before him.
His dad Mark Sangiao urged him to shape up and learn from that loss, and if Jhanlo follows suit, he could terrorize the bantamweight division.
Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang
Lito Adiwang saw action earlier this year when he beat Danial Williams in February, marking his third straight win in ONE Championship since his return from an ACL tear.
But with how busy the strawweight division has been this year, it probably won’t be long before “Thunder Kid” returns to the ring anew.
With Pacio recovering from his ACL injury, there’s a vacuum for power in the division. In fact, Jarred Brooks and Gustavo Balart will dispute the ONE Interim Strawweight MMA world title next month.
Seeing how quickly everything is moving in his weight class, Adiwang doesn’t want to miss out, and he’s making himself available for a possible return before the year ends.