"A different kind of fire" - Lito Adiwang vows to bring renewed vigor if he gets a chance to run it back with Jarred Brooks
Since making his long-awaited return to the strawweight MMA division in ONE Championship, Lito Adiwang has been in fine form. The Filipino contender is now targeting the top of the division, which is currently occupied by two titleholders.
Following their rematch at ONE 166 earlier this year, Joshua Pacio reclaimed the world championship from Jarred Brooks, but a subsequent injury kept him out of action.
Brooks claimed the interim title in his absence by submitting Gustavo Balart at ONE Fight Night 24. Adiwang is riding a three-fight winning streak since returning to action in September last year, and he has a preferred opponent going forward.
'Thunder Kid' came up short against Brooks back in November of 2021 where the American made his ONE Championship debut.
In search of revenge, Adiwang said that facing Brooks instead of Pacio would give him increased motivation instead of just chasing the title like he would be against 'The Passion'.
He told Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview that this is his priority:
"For me, I really like to fight Jarred again. I have a different kind of fire in fighting him."
Lito Adiwang may need one more big win to secure this fight
Lito Adiwang will likely need to extend his winning streak to four to secure the world championship opportunity that he is chasing. After winning the interim title, Jarred Brooks is looking to unify the belts once Pacio is back and ready to compete in a huge trilogy fight.
However, with that time frame not getting any closer, we could see Brooks return in the near future to face someone like Mansur Malachiev, who is coming off of a big win last time out at ONE Fight Night 25.
This won't change the fact that Adiwang is looking to run it back with Brooks if he gets the opportunity in the near future.