Lito Adiwang has formally announced his departure from Team Lakay.
The news came to light through a mini-documentary posted on his personal YouTube channel, in which he opened up about his decision and shed light on the circumstances leading to his exit from the legendary mixed martial arts stable.
“I needed to make the sacrifice and do the right thing, so I packed my bags and decided to come and train here in Phuket, Thailand,” Adiwang stated.
“Back home, that’s my comfort zone. I felt that I wasn’t being pushed too much. It’s hard to be pushed within your comfort zone. That’s why I needed to move out because I want to reach my full potential in this sport,” he later added.
(c) Eduard Folayang
Adiwang began his career development excursion in Phuket, Thailand, in March, the same month when Eduard Folayang, Kevin Belingon, Honorio Banario, and Joshua Pacio shockingly announced their departure from Team Lakay.
“Thunder Kid” initially set up camp at Absolute MMA Thailand under the tutelage of boxing coach Piotr Leib, MMA trainer Joseph Luciano, and Muay Thai mentor Leamthong Leenoi.
He went home last June for a short vacation and was even seen during the inauguration of the Landslide Martial Arts Training Center owned by Folayang.
It is worth recalling that during the aforementioned gym’s opening, Folayang, Belingon, Banario, and Pacio publicly confirmed the formation of Lions Nation MMA, and they would be joined by two more Team Lakay veterans, Jeremy Pacatiw and Edward Kelly.
Adiwang flew to Indonesia a week later to train at HIIT Studio, a state-of-the-art facility founded in the island paradise of Bali in 2020.
HIIT Studio recently revealed on social media that Adiwang will be a pioneer member of its MMA team.
(C) Lito Adiwang
The 30-year-old Baguio City native has yet to see action since sustaining an ACL injury during his strawweight bout against compatriot Jeremy Miado in March 2022.
Adiwang was supposed to report for duty this past January against Russian standout Mansur Malachiev, but recurring pain in his knee forced him out of the bout.
With his knee now fully healed, Adiwang is eager to step back inside the Circle and showcase his newfound skills.
“I can already say that I am 100 percent ready. I tested myself here, pushed myself to see if my knee can handle hard training,” Adiwang said.
“I am 100 percent totally recovered, so I just need to sharpen my game and come back and fight better than before.”
