Lito Adiwang back with a bang after KO of Adrian Mattheis: “I’m the most explosive guy here”

ONE Championship strawweight sensation ‘Thunder Kid’ Lito Adiwang returned to action in the world’s largest martial arts organization with a bang, making a statement with a quick 23-second knockout of hard-hitting Indonesian star Adrian ‘The Papua Badboy’ Mattheis at ONE Friday Fights 34.

Adiwang graced the hallowed halls of the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand last Friday, September 22, and brought the crowd to its feet in the opening fight of an absolutely stacked card.

The former Team Lakay standout left the Baguio City-based gym to return to international training for this camp, first spending time traveling Thailand before ultimately heading to Bali, Indonesia, to wrap up his training.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post in the post-fight interview backstage, Adiwang shared his thoughts on his explosive performance. 'Thunder Kid’ said:

“I really, really prepared for this because it’s just like, because I was away for 18 months. I trained in Bali so I heard a lot [of them say that], ‘Oh you’ll get knocked out [by] our guy.' I really truly believe deep inside me that I just had a bad year last year, and now I really believe that I’m the best striker in my division. So, I just kept that inside me and I showed it inside the ring. Now I got the power. I’m the most explosive guy here.”

Check out the full interview below:

Absolutely brimming with confidence, Adiwang successfully mounted a career comeback after nearly two years away from competition, as he suffered a horrific knee injury last year at ONE X.

‘Thunder Kid’ has been in rehab for over 18 months to repair a torn ACL, and says he has a brand new knee as well as renewed confidence.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action of ONE Friday Fights 34 live via replay on the ONE Super App and ONE Championship’s official YouTube channel.