Joshua Pacio happy to see Lito Adiwang take career into his own hands
MANILA, Philippines – Former ONE strawweight world champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio believes that his former training partner in Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang made the right decision to leave the Philippines and hone his craft elsewhere.
The two ONE Championship stars built a solid relationship during their time with Team Lakay but became part of the mass exodus that saw some of the biggest names of the squad leave this past summer.
Pacio went on to join Eduard Folayang in Lions Nation MMA, while Adiwang decided to jump toward HIIT Studio in Bali, Indonesia, to ply his trade.
They might not be teammates anymore, but Pacio is happy that Adiwang is now taking control of his career.
“I’m so happy for Lito. We’re all assessing our careers, and a lot of people are saying we’re young. But, looking at it, in five to eight years we could be retiring,” he said.
“So why not take the chance to go out and improve and learn, right?”
While Pacio was jumping from one gym to another with Folayang in the United States, the 30-year-old Adiwang started his Southeast Asian journey by first going to Phuket, Thailand, to train with Absolute MMA. After all, he was trying to get back into shape following a horrific ACL injury in 2022.
Then earlier this month, Adiwang announced that he’d be the pioneer member of the newest state-of-the-art MMA gym on the island paradise of Bali after spending a few years with Team Lakay in the Philippines.
Pacio isn’t really surprised with Adiwang’s decision to train elsewhere in Southeast Asia, especially since “Thunder Kid” had established himself as a well-known fighter in the circuit before joining Team Lakay.
“I feel like he’s taking advantage of all the relationships that he’s built there, coaches who can help him improve his boxing and grappling. I’m really happy for him,” Pacio said.
Given that they are on different teams now, fans are wondering if Pacio and Adiwang will ever meet in ONE Championship. According to Pacio, it all depends on the circumstances.
“Lito and I will always be brothers. If there comes a time wherein we have to fight – if it’s for the belt – then we have no choice because we’re not teammates anymore. If it isn’t for the belt,” Pacio continued, “I still have my reservations fighting him.”
Read more from ONE Championship:
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- Muay Thai King Tawanchai To Meet Davit Kiria In Kickboxing Thriller At ONE Fight Night 13
- Kade Ruotolo Targets MMA Debut ‘This Year’ After Latest Submission Grappling World Title Defense
– Rappler.com