Ever since he was a kid, Jhanlo Mark “The Machine” Sangiao has been dreaming of his opportunity to compete in ONE Championship.
His wait is finally over as the teenager will make his inaugural appearance in the Circle against Paul “The Great King” Lumihi in a bantamweight tilt at ONE: WINTER WARRIORS II, premiering this Friday, 17 December.
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“I’ve been preparing for this for a long time. This is a fight that I was waiting for since I was a kid,” the 19-year-old said.
“This has always been a dream of mine. I believe I’m going to be successful in my debut.”
Now that his dream will turn into reality, the fighter who inherited his father’s moniker wants to leave a lasting impression with a memorable win to extend his perfect MMA record to 4-0.
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Jhanlo Mark Sangiao feels his youth will be an advantage against Paul Lumihi
“The Machine” has stayed true to Team Lakay’s blueprint by becoming a feared striker. However, the Benguet native proved that his grappling game is equally impressive as he ended two of his professional wins via rear-naked choke.
He is confident that his striking is better than Lumihi’s. But if the SOMA Fight Club Bali athlete is willing to trade blows, Sangiao will exploit his rival’s flaws by bringing the game to the ground.
“Based on what I’ve seen, he’s more of a striker, but he tends to struggle when the fight hits the mat. He either gets submitted or gets punished on the ground,” the Filipino fighter revealed.
“I feel like I have the edge over him in a lot of stuff. I’m younger, much more powerful, and I get to train with some of the best strikers in the world.”
“The Machine” aims to make a spectacular ONE Championship debut
The son of Team Lakay head coach Mark Sangiao is a first-hand witness to how his dad transformed Joshua “The Passion” Pacio, Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon, Honorio “The Rock” Banario, and Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio into ONE World Champions.
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He would love to follow a similar path, but he refuses to talk about his journey to the title until he gets past the 33-year-old Indonesian inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
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“Anything can happen, but of course, I want to get that bonus either by submission or knockout. When that opportunity comes, I’ll be taking it,” Sangiao said.
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