"A good preparation for him" - Lito Adiwang says beating Keito Yamakita helps him stay ready for possible Jarred Brooks redo

Lito Adiwang believes preparing for Keito Yamakita's wrestling-heavy base will go a long way in his bid to exact revenge against ONE interim strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks.

The former No.5-ranked contender and striking savant has spent the last couple of months going the extra mile to upgrade his arsenal on the canvas, which has long been one of his biggest weaknesses.

Before he looks to maintain his winning ways against Yamakita at ONE Fight Night 28, The MMA Superfan caught up with Lito Adiwang to get his views on how he'll match up against 'Pocket Monk's' elite level of wrestling.

Apart from oozing confidence in his ground game, 'Thunder Kid' admits the work he has put in during fight camp will come in handy if he does run it back with Brooks — who named him as a possible challenger to the throne — one day.

Adiwang said:

"[Fighting Keito] is a good preparation for him as well. I do believe that I belong among the elite of the strawweight division. Because even if I'm not in the top five of the rankings right now, I still get called out like that. It's an honor for me."

Watch Lito Adiwang's full interview here:

The Bali-based fighter welcomed the American superstar to the global stage of ONE Championship at ONE: NextGen III in November 2021. As many predicted, the Filipino's shortcomings on the canvas led to his downfall.

While he held his own in the striking department, the Mash Fight Team athlete easily navigated away from his foe's strength to lock in the match-winning arm-triangle choke at 3:07 of the second stanza.

Adiwang's hopes of securing a bounce back win months later, unfortunately, took a turn for the wrong as he picked up an injury that led to his TKO loss to Jeremy Miado at ONE X.

The Baguio native has been on a tear since with three successive victories, and he'll look to extend that streak to four against Yamakita at ONE Fight Night 28.

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Lito Adiwang fired up to KO Keito Yamakita

In the same interview with The MMA Superfan, Lito Adiwang revealed that he's pumped to add a highlight-reel finish inside Bangkok's iconic Lumpinee Stadium this Friday.

The Soma Fight Club affiliate noted:

"My fire to knock someone out has come back."

Across 12 appearances on the global stage and in ONE Warrior Series, the Filipino martial artist has used his world-class striking to put away Adrian Mattheis, Namiki Kawahara, Senzo Ikeda, and Alber Da Silva.

ONE Fight Night 28 will be available to active Amazon Prime Video subscribers live in U.S primetime this Friday, Feb. 7.