Lito Adiwang aiming for top-ranked contenders in 2024: “Give me anyone!”

One name has been steadily rising through the strawweight ranks in ONE Championship, and that is none other than Lito Adiwang.

After a remarkable 2023 campaign that saw him overcome an ACL injury, he is now setting his sights on an ambitious goal – breaking into the top five of the strawweight division.

“Thunder Kid” began his comeback trail last September, stopping Adrian Mattheis in 23 seconds.

Following up on this triumph, the Filipino spitfire sought redemption in a rematch against Jeremy Miado last November.

With two-straight victories under his belt, Adiwang now believes he can take on the elite fighters in his weight class.

“Give me anyone! I want to get back to the rankings. I target to fight for the belt, so any contender in the rankings is the perfect opponent for me,” he said.

Adiwang has identified two potential opponents for his next bout. He will have a close eye on the clash between the #2-ranked Bokang Masunyane and #3-ranked Hiroba Minowa at ONE 165 on January 28.

“I’m excited to see the fight; that’s a very good matchup. We’ll see who ends up winning. I want to fight the winner,” he said.

However, if circumstances dictate otherwise, he is more than willing to face the next available contender — #5-ranked Mansur Malachiev.

“But if it’s not them, I want to face Mansur. I think he’s a good matchup. We were supposed to meet before, and now’s the perfect time to pick up on it,” Adiwang said.

Lito Adiwang plans to leave no stone unturned

Lito Adiwang is riding a wave of momentum into the new year, and he is determined to turn 2024 into his banner year.

“For 2024, I’m going to give it my all,” he said. “I can’t promise a championship, but what I can promise is every time I fight, I’ll be giving my all.”

“Fans can also expect me to not just chase victories, but look to entertain as well.”