How Team Lakay’s Head Coach Mark Sangiao Handles A Handful Of Warriors

Team Lakay’s head coach Mark Sangiao will be one busy man this month, as he is set to unleash five of his star pupils onto the Japanese capital.

On Sunday, 13 October, Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang, Danny “The King” Kingad, Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon, and Honorio “The Rock” Banario will each represent Team Lakay in the historic ONE: CENTURY double-header at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.

Adiwang will take on Pancrase Flyweight World Champion Senzo Ikeda in a strawweight mixed martial arts bout on the preliminary card of ONE: CENTURY PART I.

Later on that show’s main card, Kingad will battle all-time great Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Championship Final.

At ONE: CENTURY PART II, Belingon will face ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes for the fourth time, and Banario will collide with Japanese legend Shinya Aoki in a lightweight mixed martial arts tilt.

Also, one week before the historic double-header, Team Lakay’s Jerry “Bokodian Warrior” Olsim will attempt to keep his spotless record intact.

He is scheduled to meet Ryoji Kudo in the co-main event of ONE Warrior Series 8: Japan Vs. The World, which broadcasts live from the Bellesalle Shibuya Garden in Tokyo this coming Saturday, 5 October.

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Those are five of the biggest matches the Filipino martial arts squad will engage in this year. With the enormous task of preparing them for a clean sweep, Sangiao has also been readying himself both physically and mentally.

“I join the team during workouts, and I also keep up with the drills we do during training to stay fit,” the 39-year-old coach says.

“I make sure to review all the past fights of our athletes and their opponents to make sure I don’t miss out on certain details.

“Their development is very important because we know exactly how we’ll strategize, especially with the level of competition we’ll be facing.”

Many fans believe Team Lakay would not be the successful squad they are if not for Sangiao. He has long been the mastermind behind the fabled stable from the Baguio City mountains.

Under his tutelage, five men have dominated the Circle to become ONE World Champions. But according to him, the formula for Team Lakay’s success is no secret – it is all about trust.

“Being a coach is not easy, but because I have mutual trust with my athletes, it somehow makes it more comfortable to move and make decisions for the team,” he explains.

“That’s the key — just keep the team tight and remain hands-on.”

With the challenges growing for Sangiao and his athletes, he knows it is important for his pupils to take charge and capitalize on every opportunity given to them.

The legendary coach is confident his five warriors will do exactly that when they enter the arena for competition at OWS 8 and ONE: CENTURY.

“I always remind them to treat every match as if it’s their last match. They have to win to stay in the race,” he continues.

“It won’t get any easier, but with the way they are working and [with] their determination, I’m confident that we’ll bring back victories for the Philippines.”

Read more: Jerry Olsim Wants To Kick Off A ‘Historic’ October For Team Lakay

• Watch PART I in USA on 12 October at 8pm EST and PART II on 13 October at 4am EST
• Watch PART I in India on 13 October at 5:30am IST and PART II at 1:30pm IST
• Watch PART I in Indonesia on 13 October at 7am WIB and PART II at 3pm WIB
• Watch PART I in Singapore on 13 October at 8am SGT and PART II at 4pm SGT
• Watch PART I in the Philippines on 13 October at 8am PHT and PART II at 4pm PHT
• Watch PART I in Japan on 13 October at 9am JST and PART II at 5pm JST

ONE: CENTURY is the biggest World Championship martial arts event in history with 28 World Champions featured across various martial arts. No organization has ever promoted two full-scale World Championship events on the same day.

The Home Of Martial Arts will break new ground as it brings multiple World Title bouts, a trio of World Grand Prix Championship Finals, and several World Champion versus World Champion matches to the famous Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan on 13 October.