OPINION

2022 Filipino Fighting Prospects of the Year: Jhanlo Sangiao and Carl Jammes Martin

MMA: Jhanlo Sangiao

The Sangiao surname would easily ring a bell when one talks about mixed martial arts in the Philippines. Mark Sangiao, a pioneer of the sport and the head coach of the fabled Team Lakay in Baguio City, has long been known for his exploits as a fighter in the local MMA circuit many years ago.

Unlike most prizefighters, Sangiao retired early in his career to focus on coaching and building Team Lakay into what it is today. His move paid dividends as the team won several world titles throughout the years proving again and again that they are the best MMA team in the country.

As the old guard of Team Lakay nears the twilight of their careers, new faces have emerged from Baguio City such as ex-world champ Joshua Pacio, former Brave CF bantamweight champion Stephen Loman, ONE flyweight world grand prix finalist Danny Kingad, and Lito Adiwang.

But among the names mentioned among the new generation of Team Lakay, one name, or at least one surname stood out the most—Sangiao, as in Jhanlo Sangiao, the son of Mark who used to play as a kid around the gym while watching his world-class kuyas train for a fight.

With a fighting bloodline running through his veins, Jhanlo was never passed down an obligation by his father to fight for a living. But of course, seeing the environment he grew up in, surrounded by world champions, there is not an ounce of surprise that Jhanlo opted to follow in their footsteps.

After winning three fights in a row as a young professional, Jhanlo, now 20 years old, was picked up by Asia’s premier martial arts promotion ONE Championship a year ago where he made a successful debut when he defeated Paulus Lumihi via first-round submission last year.

His second victim at ONE Championship came at the expense of a fellow Filipino in Anacleto Lauron on the undercard of ONE 164 earlier this month at the Mall of Asia Arena where he also won by way of first-round submission.

Composed, improving, and seemingly possessed when in fight mode, Jhanlo Sangiao became the first and youngest Filipino mixed martial artist to win a ONE Championship performance bonus of $50,000 or around 2.75 million pesos for choking out Lauron in his last outing.

In fact, Jhanlo impressed so much that ONE Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong predicted that the young phenom is a mixed martial arts world champion in the making. Always eager to fight to gain experience, Jhanlo is hoping to be more active in 2023.

Boxing: Carl Jammes Martin

The Philippines' combat sports landscape would not be complete without boxing. And while the country has suffered several heartbreaks in 2022, new faces such as Vincent Astrolabio and Carl Jammes Martin were out to prove that they have what it takes to become a world champ someday.

Martin, 21-0 with 17 knockouts as a professional boxer, was busy throughout the year having fought and beaten Ronnie Baldonado in March, Charles Tondo in July, and Komgrich Nantapech earlier this month.

A lot of hype and hope surrounded the 23-year-old Martin when he displayed promising knockout power early in his career. But more than that, Martin is out to prove that he is more than just a power puncher when he defeated a crafty boxer in Tondo last July.

Understandably, fans are drawn to the excitement he brings for being heavy-handed. After all, he won two of his three fights this year by stoppage with former world title challenger Nantapeth being the latest victim by second-round knockout.

With Probellum backing him, Team Martin is hoping to take the young fighter’s act overseas in 2023. World ranked in three of the four major sanctioning bodies as of this writing, it would not be a surprise if Martin gets his big break sooner rather than later.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News