“It’s hard to overcome this type of injury” - Lito Adiwang talks about the mental hurdles of an ACL tear

Lito Adiwang is a picture of unbridled energy whenever he steps inside the circle. But after a debilitating knee injury he suffered in his last fight, there came a time when even the basic act of sitting down scared him.

The Filipino star suffered an unfortunate setback after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee during his fight against Filipino countryman Jeremy Miado at ONE X this past March.

The injury has since sidelined Adiwang and he admitted that more than the physical pain, it was the anxiety that the injury caused that became the hardest battle to overcome in his recovery.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Adiwang said that he was wary of doing even the most menial of activities like sitting down, standing up, and walking. He eventually calmed down when he received assurance from his physicians that they were able to completely fix his knee, in fact, making it even stronger than before.

Lito Adiwang said:

“Actually, I did have some mental fear in the first few weeks. It’s hard to overcome this type of injury, especially on the mental side of things. I have never experienced anything like this before. Simple things like sitting down and standing up, tying my shoelaces, were a struggle.”

He added:

“But when the doctor told me that they completely fixed my knee and that it’s now stronger than it was before, it gave me more confidence, and I was able to overcome the fear inside of me.”

Adiwang and Miado are considered two of the most fan-pleasing fighters in the strawweight division and their highly anticipated all-Filipino matchup was exciting for as long as it lasted. However, when Adiwang took a step back presumably to throw a kick, that’s when he tweaked his knee and immediately felt something was wrong.

Without any knowledge of what happened, Miado pounced and took the knockout win.

It was an unfortunate end to an otherwise thrilling match, but Adiwang knows he’ll be back sooner rather than later, despite the initial prognosis of a one-year recovery.

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Lito Adiwang feels he’s ahead of his recovery schedule

While it does take around a year to fully recover from an ACL tear, Lito Adiwang feels that he’s way ahead of schedule.

In the same interview, Adiwang bared that he has been keeping up with his physical therapy and that he might even return to active competition in less than a year.

The Team Lakay fighter said he’s been recovering well and that he could be back to intense training next month.

“The doctor told me it would take more or less an entire year to fully recover, just to be on the safe side. He also told me that my recovery could be quicker, depending on how my body responds to the physical therapy. It appears I am ahead of schedule, and I think I’ll be back to full intense training in about a month.”