Former ONE strawweight champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio might not be working with his good friend and longtime training partner Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang anymore, but he’s nonetheless excited to see what the future has in store for his pal.
The two strawweight dynamos parted ways when they left Team Lakay, with Pacio joining Eduard “Landslide” Folayang and company at Lions Nation MMA and Adiwang deciding to hone his craft abroad.
“Thunder Kid” announced that he’ll be one of the pioneer members of HIIT Studio in Bali, returning to his roots as a Southeast Asian star after a few years with Team Lakay in the Philippines.
This comes after working with Absolute MMA in Phuket, Thailand, over the past few months as he looks to return to fighting shape after tearing his ACL in March 2022.
Pacio is ecstatic that Adiwang is taking his career into his own hands.
“I’m so happy for Lito. We’re all assessing our careers, and a lot of people are saying we’re young. But, looking at it, in five to eight years we could be retiring,” he said.
“So why not take the chance to go out and improve and learn, right?”
Adiwang has created a huge network in Southeast Asia owing to his career before touching down at Team Lakay.
The 30-year-old moved to MuayFit Malaysia in 2016 before heading to AKA Thailand for 18 months.
During that journey, he met various coaches from all over Southeast Asia, something that he’s tapping into as he departs Team Lakay.
“I feel like he’s taking advantage of all the relationships that he’s built there, coaches who can help him improve his boxing and grappling. I’m really happy for him,” Pacio said.
With Adiwang now on a different team, it begs the question: will fans see an all-Filipino showdown between him and Pacio? For the latter, that all depends on what they’re fighting for.
“Lito and I will always be brothers. If there comes a time wherein we have to fight—if it’s for the belt—then we have no choice because we’re not teammates anymore. If it isn’t for the belt,” Pacio continued, “I still have my reservations fighting him.”’
