Lito Adiwang vs Jared Brooks. ONE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Lito Adiwang’s first headliner of his career ended in disappointment after he tapped out to UFC veteran Jared Brooks in ONE: NEXTGEN III last Friday.
Despite the loss, the match was still a realized dream for Adiwang and he came out of Singapore with lessons learned.
“This match was an eye-opener for me,” said Adiwang. “The biggest lesson that I took home after facing Brooks was that in this high level of competition, one mistake, no matter how small it is, can cost you a million. So you really need to be with yourself, to be 100-percent focused mentally and physically.”
Adiwang (13-4) got subjected to Brooks’ superior grappling in their bout at Singapore Indoor Stadium but the Team Lakay star knew that the fight could still have gone either way.
Jarred Brooks 🇺🇸 puts the ONE strawweight division ON NOTICE by submitting Lito Adiwang in the second round! 👀 @The_monkeygod #ONENextGen3 #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/JHUSk2VAgL
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) November 26, 2021
Before getting held down on the ground, Adiwang felt that Brooks was running out of gas and a clean strike could’ve made the difference in the fight.
“I knew I was about to finish him. It was clear that he was running out of air every time he held me down and that’s why I was letting him pin me down, for him to get tired,” said Adiwang. Then I’d capitalize and finish him. But he was lucky to get that submission before I got to end the game.”
The 28-year-old also argued that Brooks (17-2), who is the same age as Adiwang, isn’t as strong as he expected to but he also knew that a tiny slip-up was all it took for him to lose the fight.
Adiwang was put on his back early in the second and ultimately tapped to Brooks’ arm-triangle choke 3:07 into the round.
The loss was Adiwang’s second in four fights and it also put a stop to a two-fight winning streak.
“He seems to be so strong when I watch him on screen but believe me, people in the arena can clearly see that he was gassed out and tired. This is what hurts me the most because I knew that if he did not get that submission or we did not have that break, I knew that I was to finish him,” said Adiwang. “That’s what I’m saying. I’m not making excuses here but in this already high level of game, a tiny single mistake can cost one a lot.”