“He needs to win a few more fights” - Lito Adiwang thinks Jarred Brooks is not ready for a title shot

Lito Adiwang still feels the sting of his latest defeat to Jarred Brooks at ONE: NextGen III last October. The 28-year-old Team Lakay fighter recently shared that he believes the American fighter will have to win a few more fights before competing for the title.

Adiwang says he’s since analyzed his performance and identified a handful of holes in his game that he needs to plug. He also says that although he was impressed by Brooks’ skills, he doesn’t feel like ‘The Monkey God’ should be given an immediate title shot against reigning ONE strawweight world champion Joshua Pacio, his Team Lakay teammate.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Lito Adiwang revealed who he thinks should get the next title shot. He said:

“For Jarred, I think it’s too early. I think he needs to prove himself more by winning a few more fights. I wouldn’t want to say that he still has a lot to prove, but maybe he needs to gain more fans and recognition here in Asia."

He added:

“I believe one guy who deserves to be Joshua’s challenger is Bokang [Masunyane] because he has a perfect record, he’s won two big fights in ONE already, and I think he’s ready for it.”

Masunyane is the division’s No. 1-ranked contender. The fearsome fighter from Johannesburg, South Africa, is undefeated at 8-0, and has posted two impressive victories over Ryuto Sawada and Rene Catalan in the ONE Circle.

As for Brooks, Lito Adiwang says there’s no bad blood between them, despite the pre-fight buildup. He maintains that he has a lot of respect for ‘The Monkey God’ as a fighter. He said:

“It’s all good. After the fight, I sent him a message, I told him congratulations and see you on top. That was my message to him, and he replied. He told me that he expects to see me again, but this time, on the top of the division.”

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Lito Adiwang promises a better version of himself in 2022

“We win or we learn” has always been Team Lakay’s motto, and it’s no different for Lito Adiwang. The lessons he learned in three fights in 2021 will help him move forward in his career.

According to the Filipino star, he needs to find a way to balance his personal life and his fighting career. He said:

“I have to check my mistakes inside the Circle, but I also have to check my mistakes outside the Circle. It has to be a balance. Sometimes, I forget other personal obligations and those are the things that I have to work on. I have to balance things out based on last year. I have to correct this in 2022.”

Adiwang is one of the most explosive fighters in ONE Championship. He has been in the top five of the official rankings twice, but hasn't managed to insert himself into the title picture. He will be looking to return to winning ways in 2022.