MMA: Lito Adiwang explains game plan against Jeremy Miado

MANILA -- Ahead of their highly-anticipated rematch, Lito "Thunder Kid" Adiwang made a point of saying that he believes he is better than Jeremy "The Jaguar" Miado on the ground.

Come fight night, however, fans barely got to see the ground game of both fighters. Adiwang walked away triumphant, scoring a unanimous decision, but he got it done in a different manner.

Adiwang felt that he could take Miado on the feet, and he is confident that he got his point across after exchanging strikes with "The Jaguar" for 15 minutes during their strawweight showdown at ONE Fight Night 16 last Saturday in Bangkok, Thailand.

• MMA: Lito Adiwang decisions Jeremy Miado in rematch
• MMA: Resurgent Adiwang says he's now in a 'better place'

"I said I had the advantage on the ground, but I know Jeremy is a great striker, and I wanted to prove that I’m the best striker in this division," Adiwang said of his game plan.

"I stood toe-to-toe with him, which is a risk because he’s a knockout artist, and I still got the victory. Another proven point for me," he added.

Adiwang did praise Miado's boxing and was impressed with his ability to create distance for his counters. But he was pleased to find a hole in his fellow Filipino fighter's game -- a gap he exposed by packing in power punches.

"His boxing is so polished, but I was confident that I had more powerful hands than him. I know that if I worked, I could disrupt his flow in boxing if I threw power shots at him. I also knew that I needed to work on his legs because he moves so well," said Adiwang.

"I was having a hard time getting into range because he’s so tall. There was an instance wherein I actually pointed at him [to signal] that if he wasn’t taller, I would’ve gotten him, he would’ve gone to sleep," he added.

"Those were the keys – the power shots and the leg work."

Ultimately, Adiwang believes he has closed this chapter of his career -- one that started in painful fashion at ONE X in March 2022, when he suffered a knee injury in his first meeting against Miado.

"I can say that it completes my comeback. I had a great return. I beat Mattheis in 23 seconds but I knew that I had to complete my fight against Jeremy. I had to take care of that fight," he said.

• MMA: Miado wants to show off improvements in Adiwang rematch
• Miado anticipates war In rematch with Adiwang