“Beautiful wrestling and excellent pressure” - Lito Adiwang on what makes Keito Yamakita a tough nut to crack

Lito Adiwang understands that he must go through the wringer to enter the stacked strawweight MMA top 5.

'Thunder Kid' will look to stretch his winning streak to four this coming Friday by taking out fourth-ranked contender Keito Yamakita at ONE Fight Night 28: Prajanchai vs Barboza on Prime Video.

Like Adiwang, 'Pocket Monk' has been on a hot streak as of late, winning three of his first four matches in the home of martial arts.

Being the astute student of the game that he's always been, Adiwang made sure to do his due diligence on Yamakita.

The Filipino firecracker concluded that he must dictate the pace as early as possible or risk succumbing to the Japanese grappler's suffocating pressure.

Lito Adiwang told ONE Championship in an exclusive interview:

"He’s truly a grinder. He has very beautiful wrestling and excellent pressure. On my part, I have to make sure that I get to hit him, before he tries to control me."

Moreover, the 31-year-old assured his fans that his grappling defense has been on point for this camp, given the caliber of opponent that he'll be facing. He added:

"So that’s what we’re working on right now. We have to make sure that we’re not just defending, but also attacking him in that situation as well."

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Lito Adiwang making sure all bases are covered against Keito Yamakita

While Lito Adiwang will stick to his game plan in hopes of landing one of his vicious power shots, he acknowledges that Yamakita won't make it easy for him.

That said, 'Thunder Kid' has already simulated a multitude of possibilities in training, to ensure he'll know what to do at any given moment.

The SOMA Fight Club representative said in an interview with The MMA Superfan:

"Right now, we’re running all these different scenarios on how he would approach and next is where we may actually end up, like am I pushed to the ropes or down on the ground? How do I react, and how do I get to a better position?"

ONE Fight Night 28 will emanate from the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Feb. 7. The full event will air live in US Primetime free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.