Lito Adiwang on exchanging smiles with Jeremy Miado throughout their three-round war: “It was a sign of respect”

Filipino strawweight fighter Lito Adiwang said he enjoyed his recent showdown with compatriot Jeremy Miado, which he said was not only competitively fought but also played out in a good-natured way.

‘Thunder Kid’ took on ‘The Jaguar’ in a rematch at ONE Fight Night 16 on Prime Video on November 3 in Bangkok. He won by unanimous decision to exact payback on his rival, after he was forced to take a technical knockout loss in their first encounter last year when he injured his knee in the second round and was unable to continue.

Throughout the course of the three-rounder, both fighters exchanged gamely smiles. Lito Adiwang said it was not so much of a taunt but more of them showing respect to one another.

He shared this in an interview with The MMA Superfan following his victory, saying:

“We exchanged smiles a lot during the fight which is a sign of respect. We both respect each other’s strikes. Like when he landed a combination he smiled. I acknowledged it by smiling back. It was the same way for me whenever I landed a clean shot and I was even pointing like, ‘I got you there’.”

Watch the interview below:

Lito Adiwang got an early advantage and was actually close to finishing the match in the opening round when he landed a solid left hook that dropped Jeremy Miado. He then followed it up with a barrage of ground strikes. His opponent, however, survived the onslaught and was able to go the full three rounds.

But in the end, it was the Baguio native whose hand was raised in triumph, gaining all of the three judges’ nods.

It was the second straight victory for the HIIT Studio affiliate since coming back from his knee injury. His first victory was back in September when he stopped Indonesian Adrian Mattheis by TKO in just 23 seconds.

With his latest convincing victory, Lito Adiwang touted that he is back and ready to be a competitive force in the strawweight division

The replay of ONE Fight Night 16 is available anytime on demand for Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.