The upcoming match between #3-ranked Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks and #4-ranked Hiroba Minowa at ONE: ONLY THE BRAVE on January 28 might determine the next challenger to ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio.
But according to Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang, a lot of people are forgetting one man.
While he won’t have any issues seeing the winner of this match become the top contender, Pacio’s teammate mentioned current number one contender Bokang “Little Giant” Masunyane as a rightful challenger.
“Both of them are in the top five already, so I see it happening. Though I still believe Bokang deserves to get his chance. I think he’s proven himself already,” Adiwang said.
The 28-year-old South African burst into the ONE Championship scene by outwrestling and controlling Japanese veteran Ryuto “Dragon Boy” Sawada the entire match.
He then proved that he’s more than just a savvy wrestler after knocking out former ONE Strawweight World Title challenger Rene “The Challenger” Catalan with a beautiful head kick in the first round.
Having beaten two established names, Adiwang is siding with Masunyane to get the first crack at Pacio. However, he won’t lose sleep if the winner of the Brooks-Minowa faceoff gets the shot.
“It’s a close call. Either way, if Bokang doesn’t get it, whoever wins in this match, it’s a good match for our champion,” he said.
If that’s the case, fans could finally see the long-awaited clash between Pacio and Brooks as Adiwang believes the American has the slight edge over his Japanese opponent.
The Team Lakay star should know, especially since he’s already faced both men in the past.
“Man, it’s still 50-50 to me. Oh, okay, maybe I’ll give the slight edge to Brooks. Maybe it’s 51-49 Brooks,” Adiwang stated about the match’s outcome.
“It’s just the experience. I think it’s going to be the difference. His experience and power are above Minowa.”
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