By:  | June 14, 2022 8:31 am

We Lito Adiwang has provided an update on the serious knee injury he suffered during his last fight. The strawweight is set for a year on the sidelines but still managed to sound upbeat about his career prospects.

Adiwang has been told it will take a year to make a ‘complete recovery’ but is optimistic he could be back sooner,

“As per the doctor’s advice, a complete recovery will (take) one year. On a positive note, I still think it depends on how my body will heal. There’s a chance that I can recover faster. I’m doing it slowly but surely so when we return, we won’t face any complications. That’s what I see here, the importance of taking care of my body. I’ll be back.”

 

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New ACL

Adiwang suffered a complete tear of his ACL, an injury which is more common for footballers than mixed martial artists. He had to have it completely reconstructed during surgery,

“I just got surgery. They replaced it. I think they got some muscles from my legs and put it there. Now I’m going through therapy. I’m going through several programs. The first week, I was just stretching it, just so it remains mobile. The second week, I started to put weight on it, and this week, thankfully I am getting to do squats and stationary bikes.”

Adiwang has slipped out of the top five at strawweight after back to back losses. He was submitted by Jarred Brooks but looked to be in control against Jeremy Miado before tearing his ACL in an incident which seemed innocuous.

Hungrier than ever

Next up for Brooks is a strawweight title shot against Adiwang’s teammate Joshua Pacio. The Filipino will have to wait and watch but the division could look very different by the time he returns from injury.

Whatever happens there is no question of Adiwang walking away from the sport. The 29 year old is determined he will come back stronger after surgery and rehabilitation,

“The fire in me right now has returned. That’s what I’m feeling right now. Whoever I face, I’ll be ready. I’ll do my best to win, whoever I face. With this injury, I’m hungrier than ever.”

While Adiwang will be doing all he can to support Pacio in his quest to retain the strawweight title he knows the division could have a new king in a year’s time. He believes he will wear that belt eventually and is content to bide his time,

“The promise is I’ll do my best to recover quickly and return to my best form. I know that if I give my best, I still truly believe that I will be a world champion one day.”