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Jhanlo Sangiao will make his ONE Championship debut next month and he is very excited to fulfill his lifelong dream. The 18-year-old fighter from Team Lakay is set to battle Paul Lumihi at the promotion's last fight card of the year in ONE: Winter Warriors II on December 17th at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Trained by Team Lakay founder and head coach Mark Sangiao, Jhanlo is facing a lot of pressure carrying his father's surname and being one of the stable's youngest torchbearers.
His opponent is an Indonesian fighter who has yet to win in ONE Championship. Lumihi entered the organization back in December 2017 and has lost all four fights given to him.
Even with the slump, Sangiao has done his research. He sees 'The Great King' as an aggressive fighter that he must not sleep on.
"Paul Lumihi is also a warrior. He is a champion in Indonesia and we cannot underestimate him. This is MMA and anything can happen," said Sangiao during an online press conference.
Team Lakay has been known to throw the most vicious punches and kicks in ONE Championship due to their background in Wushu Xanda. 'The Machine' knows his strengths against his opponent and will exploit whatever he can to secure the win.
"He is more of a striker but I think, up and down, I can take him," Sangiao said.
Learning from his father heading into his ONE Championship debut
The younger Sangiao is blessed to be surrounded by world champions that can help him speed up his learnings. He also has the luxury of having a 24/7 head coach with him, having Mark Sangiao as his father.
Jhanlo watched his father compete inside the MMA cage growing up while also coaching his fighters in ONE Championship. As young as he is, the Team Lakay protege has already taken notes observing his father bring down opponents.
"One thing that I learned from my father is his mental spirit, the warrior spirit as an Igorot," said Sangiao. "We would do whatever it takes to get what we want. That is what he does before. If he wants a takedown, he will go take the fight on the ground, if he wants striking, he would do whatever it takes."
