Lito Adiwang feared not being offered a ONE Warrior Series contract

MANILA - Lito "Thunder Kid" Adiwang admitted that worried over not being offered a lucrative ONE Championship contract following his performance against Anthony Do.

The Team Lakay fighter showcased why he was a prospect worth keeping an eye on by strutting his well-roundedness en route to a unanimous decision nod over Do this past Tuesday in the main event of ONE Warrior Series 7 in Singapore.

Despite his dominant performance over the course of fifteen minutes, Adiwang revealed that he was dissatisfied with his performance inside the ring.

"I was a little bit upset with my performance because I didn't get the finish that I wanted," he admitted.

"I wanted to get a knockout, but Anthony Do was really good. I failed to catch him with clean shots and my combinations weren't solid."

MMA fighters from around the globe had gathered in Singapore in hopes of impressing former UFC middleweight world champion Rich Franklin and winning a six-figure contract at ONE Championship.

Catching Franklin's attention was no easy task, as a win did not automatically translate to getting a contract. And since Adiwang did not get a spectacular finish, he thought he had failed to impress the former UFC champ.

"During the fight especially in the third round, I was getting really worried. I visualized myself going in there and be impressive to win the contract," said Adiwang.

"That feeling went away when we got to the third round because I wanted a dominant performance yet it was a close fight. It came to mind that I may not win the contract."

He managed a sigh of relief afterwards as he was awarded the Warrior Series' 10th ONE Championship contract shortly after the fight. Finally, Adiwang is on the grandest stage of all.

"My reaction was, 'Finally, I got it,'" he recounted.

"I am happy to be on the big stage now. I know I have tough fights ahead, but now I finally have the key to compete at the big stage."

And now that he is officially part of ONE Championship's main roster, Adiwang promised to improve and even warned that he was only getting started.

"I'll work harder to put better shows. Not just better shows, I want to become a champion in ONE. I want to be better every time I enter the cage." — DVM, GMA News