Lito Adiwang says Bokang Masunyane, Mansur Malachiev fights can wait until he claims gold: “They can become my challenger”

Lito Adiwang knows that his path will inevitably cross with top-five strawweight MMA contenders Bokang Masunyane and Mansur Malachiev.

Adiwang returns to the legendary Lumpinee Stadium this Friday, Feb. 7 for a showdown with Keito Yamakita at ONE Fight Night 28 on Prime Video.

Yamakita currently sits as the fourth-ranked contender in the strawweight MMA division, meaning that a win for 'Thunder Kid' could put him in line for a potential world title opportunity.

Speaking with Nick Atkin of the Bangkok Post, Adiwang was asked about potential matchups with Masunyane and Malachiev — two fighters who are also in hot pursuit of reigning ONE strawweight MMA world champion Joshua Pacio and interim king Jarred Brooks.

Adiwang acknowledged that he'll have to face one of them, if not both at some point, but hopefully not until he has the 26 pounds of gold wrapped around his waist:

"I’m expecting to face one of them, eventually. But it’s gonna be good if I go for the belt and then they can become my challenger."

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Lito Adiwang coming for Keito Yamakita's strawweight ranking at ONE Fight Night 28

Lito Adiwang goes into ONE Fight Night 28 on a three-fight win streak, including a vicious 32-second knockout of Adrian Mattheis followed by decision victories over Jeremy Miado and three-sport superstar Danial Williams.

One more win should earn him a spot in the strawweight top five, but needless to say, Keito Yamakita isn't going to give up his ranking without a fight.

Thus far, the 'Pocket Monk' is 3-1 under the ONE Championship banner, his wins coming against Alex Silva, the aforementioned Jeremy Miado, and most recently, Yosuke Saruta.

Overall, Yamakita is 10-1, his only loss coming against third-ranked contender Bokang Masunyane.

Will Yamakita take one step closer to a shot at the strawweight MMA strap, or will Lito Adiwang's rise up the ranks continue on martial arts' biggest global stage?

ONE Championship fans can watch ONE Fight Night 28 live on Amazon Prime Video in both the United States and Canada in U.S. primetime on Friday, Feb. 7.