19-year-old Pinoy MMA prodigy signs with ONE Championship

Jhanlo Sangiao, the son of Baguio City's Team Lakay founder and head coach Mark Sangiao, has signed with ONE Championship.

Raised in a pack of wolves, the 19-year-old started to train in the field of martial arts at six years old and won medals in Muay Thai at 14.

Jhanlo said he wants to hone his craft and improve his overall arsenal before his professional debut.

"I wasn't expecting it. I was shocked when my father gave me the contract. But when I saw the ONE Championship logo on the piece of paper, I read it and I was in disbelief," said Jhanlo.

"I can't really explain what I was feeling. I was definitely excited. Since I was a kid, I had wanted to be here for so long. It has been my dream. I wanted to compete like all my kuyas in the gym."

Jhanlo admitted that there is a ton of pressure and expectations on his shoulders given that his father is a mixed martial arts pioneer in the Philippines.

"There's definitely pressure on me to do well, no escaping that. People will come up to me, asking me when I'm making my debut, so in my mind, that's pressure in itself," he said.

"People expect a lot, and I have to be at my best. But that kind of pressure makes me happy," he added.

Team Lakay has long made its mark in MMA as some of the best strikers that the sport has to offer.

But according to Sangiao, he is part of the new breed of Team Lakay fighters who are well-rounded and capable of finishing a fight be it standing up or on the ground.

"I'm part of a new generation of Team Lakay fighters who have built new weapons. Our team is evolving, and we're dangerous in all areas."

—MGP, GMA News