Lito Adiwang is well aware of the clamor from fans and pundits alike to see him square off against Joshua Pacio, but he currently finds no compelling reason to share the same stage with his former teammate.
There has been an increasing interest in a potential bout between these two Filipino mixed martial artists since they left Team Lakay earlier this year and embarked on separate paths.
Pacio went on to establish Lions Nation MMA alongside Eduard Folayang, Kevin Belingon, and Honorio Banario. Meanwhile, Adiwang opted to set up camp in Bali, Indonesia, instead of joining their ranks.
Given that they both compete in the talent-laden strawweight division of ONE Championship, it appears to be a probable scenario for Adiwang and Pacio to go head-to-head.
However, Adiwang has expressed his reservations about such a matchup at this point.
This is partially rooted in the current rankings, where Pacio holds the No. 1 contender spot and is considered the prime candidate for a second date with Jarred Brooks for the ONE strawweight championship.
(C) ONEFC.com
“Joshua, in my opinion, is now in a position to face Jarred Brooks. Let them battle it out, and then we’ll see what happens,” Adiwang told Tiebreaker Times.
Adiwang, in essence, is holding out for higher stakes. He views an encounter opposite Pacio as a worthwhile endeavor only if the gold-plated strap is on the line.
“It’s pointless for us to fight without anything unless it’s for the belt. It’s not worth it,” he stated.
Pacio shared the same sentiment in the aftermath of his unanimous decision victory over No. 5-ranked Mansur Malachiev last October.
“If it gets to a point where it’s for the title, if one of us is the champion and it’s for the Philippines, maybe. But we said no, we’re not fighting each other,” Pacio said during a press conference a month ago.
Currently situated outside the Top Five, “Thunder Kid” is more keen on solidifying his stature in the weight class by racking up wins and building momentum.
The 30-year-old Baguio City native made significant strides in this effort, with a series of impressive victories over the past six weeks.
His streak began with a lightning-fast 23-second stoppage win over Adrian Mattheis this past September. He then followed it up with a unanimous decision victory win over Jeremy Miado in a rematch last weekend.
Although Adiwang is eager to settle an old score with Brooks and challenge him for the belt, he has no qualms about stepping aside and giving way to Pacio.
“I know my time will come,” he mentioned.
