Lito Adiwang believes Gustavo Balart's stand-up arsenal is too predictable: "You can easily read his striking"
Lito Adiwang doesn't believe Gustavo Balart has too much to offer in the stand-up department.
The striking specialist touched on the Cuban's striking repertoire ahead of his main event fixture that goes down at ONE Fight Night 24 next Friday, August 2.
There, the No.3-ranked contender faces former kingpin Jarred Brooks to determine the ONE interim strawweight MMA world champion.
With a chess match expected to unfold on the canvas, given both warriors' expertise in that department, Lito Adiwang senses that they will rely on the opposite to ensure they get their hand raised inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
And despite 'El Gladiador' appearing to go all out on his bid to let his hands lose, the Filipino doesn't make much of it.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda MMA, Lito Adiwang pointed out:
"You can easily read his [Balart] striking and boxing, even if he's been focusing on those lately."
Lito Adiwang won't completely rule out Balart's striking
While unimpressed, the former No.5-ranked contender knows it'll still be anyone's game when the 4-foot-11 dynamite throws down with 'The Monkey God.'
As such, the Filipino refuses to completely diminish Balart's chances when he does exchange with Brooks on the feet.
In the same interview, the Soma Fight Club representative added:
"Even though you can easily read Balart's boxing, there's still power behind those shots."
Balart, who fights out of American Top Team, has been waiting for his chance to sit atop the mountain, after all, and it'd be unwise to rule out his chances with ONE gold within touching distance.
As for Brooks, the Mash Fight Team fighter is out to prove that his loss against Joshua Pacio was nothing but a mere hiccup in his otherwise dominant tenure on the global stage of combat sports.
ONE Fight Night 24 will be available on Amazon Prime Video for active subscribers in North America and Canada.