Team Lakay veteran Kevin Belingon believes that his junior Jeremy Pacatiw is ready for a bigger stage after signing with Singapore-based promotion ONE Championship.
But Belingon, who is one of Team Lakay's pioneer fighters in ONE, gave a friendly reminder to Pacatiw ahead of his promotional debut soon.
READ: Pacatiw wants to contribute to building Team Lakay legacy in ONE
"Jeremy is now stepping on a bigger stage and I think the biggest challenge for him is on how he's going to deal with his mindset going into this fight, especially that this is his debut," said Belingon, a former ONE bantamweight world champion. "He has the skills to compete with high level fighters, so he just needs to focus on his game plan to win the game.
"The difference of this division with the other promotions is that all the fighters in ONE Championship are high-level and skilled athletes. Everyone here is elite, so you really have to step up your game," added Belingon, who owns a 20-8 record.
READ: Team Lakay coach grateful for recent signings with ONE Championship
Pacatiw, who signed with ONE last month, used to compete in the Bahrain-based promotion BRAVE Combat Federation.
In BRAVE, Pacatiw also fought in the bantamweight division alongside teammate Stephen Loman, the longest reigning champion in the promotion's history.
The 25-year-old Pacatiw, who holds a 10-4 record, has won five of his nine fights in BRAVE. He last saw action in December 2019 with a knockout win over Felipe Efrain.
As for Belingon, he is just as excited as other Team Lakay seniors to witness the new generation of fighters in the Circle.
Singling out a piece of advice for Pacatiw, Belingon said, "Never stop learning, stay humble, stay motivated, and be confident."
Pacatiw's debut fight, however, has yet to be announced by ONE.