“I’m Very Hyped Up” – Jhanlo Sangiao Thrilled to Maintain Perfect Record at ONE 164

“The Machine” Jhanlo Mark Sangiao couldn’t have hoped for a better sophomore outing than the one he put on at ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks last Saturday, December 3. 

The Filipino fighter maintained his 100 percent finishing rate, earned another victory, and walked away from the Circle with a hefty US$50,000 performance bonus. 

Sangiao showed tremendous composure in the stand-up department against a rampant, who let his fists and knees loose from the opening bell. 

But the debutant’s determination to hunt for a finish ultimately cost him dearly, as “The Machine” took the fight to the canvas and ended proceedings with a rear-naked choke at 1:48 of the opening frame.

Jhanlo Sangiao is overwhelmed

“I’m very hyped up. The feeling is different, especially since I was competing in front of the Filipino crowd. I can’t find the right words, but I’m hyped,” the 20-year-old said.

The young star might have been lost for words, but ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong certainly wasn’t.

In the post-event press conference, the lifelong martial artist described the bantamweight fighter as an athlete with all the elements to be a future World Champion. 

Read more: Three Opponents Who Could Be Next for New ONE Strawweight World Champion Jarred Brooks

The Team Lakay phenom, son of the iconic gym’s founder and head coach, Mark Sangiao, accepted that praise and admitted that it will encourage him to continue performing at the best of his abilities.

“Of course, I’m very happy because it’s the boss himself who said that I’m [going to be a World Champion] soon, and I’m the future. It truly is exciting,” the Benguet resident added.

“I’m motivated that it came from Sir Chatri. I can push myself and train to be better.”

The promising member of Team Lakay

While the young star has been touted as a star by Sityodtong, Sangiao hopes that he will not be the only divisional king fighting out of Team Lakay in the future.

The world-renowned gym, once home to four ONE World Champions simultaneously, dropped its final piece of goldware when Joshua “The Passion” Pacio fell to a unanimous decision loss at the hands of Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks in the main event of ONE 164. 

However, Sangiao views that as an opportunity to learn in order to scale to greater heights in the future.

“We don’t always win. We can’t always be victorious, but we’ll take that as a lesson, and try to improve, improve, and improve until we get back to the top,” he said.

Read more: Relive All the Epic Finishes From ONE on Prime Video 5

“I know we don’t have the belts anymore, but it’s not the end. We are here. We are rising. We will do our best to get [the belts] back.”