Fit-again Lito Adiwang feels vindicated after 23-second KO of Adrian Mattheis: “All the sacrifices I made paid off” 

At ONE Fight Night 16, Lito Adiwang will look to produce back-to-back wins since returning from an injury that had him questioning whether he would ever step foot inside the Circle ever again.

Competing at ONE: X last year, ‘Thunder Kid’ went to war against his fellow Filipino strawweight MMA contender, Jeremy Miado.

Unfortunately for Adiwang, he not only lost the fight but also suffered injuries that would call the future of his career in ONE Championship into question.

With 18 months out on the sidelines, the 30-year old competitor was forced to show his patience and perseverance in attempting to recover back to full fitness.

That in mind, ONE Friday Fights 34 was a massive night and accomplishment for Adiwang as he made his return to competition, ready to put that last year and a half behind him.

With a finish over Adrian Mattheis in just 23 seconds, he did exactly that and recaptured some of the momentum he lost during his time away from competition.

On November 3, he will once again step foot inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, facing off with Miado for a second time.

In an interview with The Game, previewing the rematch and talking about his journey back to competition, Lito Adiwang spoke about the importance of delivering an unforgettable comeback against Mattheis:

“So, I’m so happy and so relieved because all of my hard work and all the sacrifices I made paid off so I’m really happy and blessed that I was able to pull off the victory.

What I really wanted was to come back with a spectacular victory so I’m very happy that I was able to do it and show that to the world.”

Watch the full interview via Facebook below:

ONE Fight Night 16 Haggerty vs. Andrade on Prime Video will air live on US Primetime free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.