Lito Adiwang says Mansur Malachiev’s biggest strength is his "unbreakable will to win"

ONE Championship strawweight MMA contender Lito Adiwang admits he's impressed with Russian star Mansur Malachiev. Malachiev is coming off a resounding unanimous decision victory over highly regarded South African 'Little Giant' Bokang Masunyane earlier this month. And Adiwang liked what he saw.

Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA in an exclusive interview, Adiwang broke down what he saw from the Russian star.

'Thunder Kid' said:

"He has holes, but his unbreakable will to win is what helps him get victories. But we’ll see the other fighters he’ll be matched up with. It was favorable for him to be matched up with Bokang, who is also a wrestler. He stops Bokang’s wrestling and he counters with his striking. And Bokang is really short, so he can’t really get things going against him."

That being said, Adiwang says there are levels to this game, and Malachiev isn't a top strawweight yet. The Filipino added:

"If he matched up against Jarred or Joshua, it will be a different story. It’s going to be like a sixth grader taking on a third grader."

Lito Adiwang admits Mansur Malachiev's confidence may be hard to break: "His mental fortitude"

'Thunder Kid' Lito Adiwang says Mansur Malachiev's biggest strength is that his mind is ironclad. The Filipino star believes the Russian standout's confidence simply cannot be broken, after spending his life in one of the roughest areas in the world.

Adiwang told Sportskeeda MMA:

"His mental fortitude. His Russian-Dagestani mindset of 'break me and I will still fight' is really his main weapon. He also has his submission and wrestling. I think it makes up for about 80% of his game."

Could Adiwang one day find himself in the cage with Malachiev? It's certainly an interesting matchup for fans and could be next for both fighters.