Growing up in a martial arts family, Jhanlo Mark “The Machine” Sangiao heard tales of the fabled Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, home to some of the greatest strikers in the world.
Now it’s time for him to set foot in the historic stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, as a professional martial artist.
Sangiao takes on Matias Farinelli in a three-round bantamweight MMA bout at ONE Fight Night 9 on Saturday, April 22, and the second-generation fighter can’t contain his excitement.
“It’s an honor to fight inside a prestigious and history-filled stadium such as Lumpinee. I know the crowd will be huge,” Sangiao said.
The son of Team Lakay head coach Mark has been splendid in his run in the ONE Championship, beating Paul Lumihi via submission in the first round.
He doubled-down on his impressive debut by securing another first-round submission win over ONE Warrior Series Philippines alumnus Anacleto “L.A.” Lauron last December, where he became the first Filipino to win a $US50,000 performance bonus from ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
As he searches for his third-straight victory in the promotion, Sangiao promises to come out better this time around.
“I always give my all in my fights. Every time I gear [up] for a battle, I always have my eyes set on my goal — to win,” he said.
It won’t be an easy night for the Filipino as the unbeaten Argentinian is a slick grappler, with all of his five wins coming from submissions.
Despite that, Sangiao is confident that he has solutions to Farinelli’s ground game and he’s been able to show that.
The young Sangiao has been breaking stereotypes since his amateur days and, despite coming from a team that’s known for their striking, he favors his wrestling and ground game more.
With those skills, and youth by his side, Sangiao is confident that he’ll get his third straight victory in ONE against Farinelli.
“I’m much younger and I believe I’m stronger. I think I also have a complete arsenal of weapons. Farinelli has great wrestling and ground game, but I have answers to that,” he said. (ABS-CBN News)