By Jun Ray Navarres
Team Lakay new breed Jhanlo Mark Sangiao spearheads the new generation of Filipino MMA fighters in international stage after signing with ONE Championship.
The 19-year-old son of Team Lakay founder and head coach Mark Sangiao will finally step into the professional stage to join his stablemates in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
“I wasn’t expecting it. I was shocked when my father gave me the contract. But when I saw the ONE Championship logo on the piece of paper, I read it and I was in disbelief,” Sangiao said.
“I can’t really explain what I was feeling. I was definitely excited. Since I was a kid, I had wanted to be here for so long. It has been my dream. I wanted to compete like all my kuyas in the gym.”
Sangiao grew up inside the Team Lakay gym, training at an early age of six but it was when he was 14 years old when he started bagging gold medals in local Muay Thai competitions.
It was when he realized he has the talent of a fighter.
There as still no details in his debut but “The Machine” continues honing his arsenal in preparation for the big stage.
“I’m just grinding right now, training each day, and just getting myself ready both physically and mentally. My father always tells me to just be ready because my time will come, and here we are,” Sangiao said.
“The moment I signed that contract, my father told me, ‘This is it. This isn’t the amateurs anymore. You have to be ready. You have to be better. You’re on the big stage so don’t act like an amateur anymore.’”
Already planted their name in the world stage, Team Lakay boasts its collection of former and current world champions, including former ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, former ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio “The Rock” Banario, former ONE Flyweight World Champion Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio, former ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon, and current ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio, among others.
With the team’s credentials in ONE Championship, Sangiao is already pushed to the limits of his mental toughness as the pressure builds up.
But the Filipino stalwart is ready to carry the Philippine flag in the international competition.
“People will come up to me, asking me when I’m making my debut, so in my mind, that’s pressure in itself. People expect a lot, and I have to be at my best. But that kind of pressure makes me happy,” said Sangiao.
Sangiao is also ready to show that fighters from Team Lakay are not just adept in striking but can finish in all areas.
“I’m part of a new generation of Team Lakay fighters who have built new weapons.”
“Our team is evolving, and we’re dangerous in all areas.”
Follow the writer on Twitter: @burnsports
