Mark Sangiao highlights importance of ONE Friday Fights: 'It's a big thing for our young fighters'
At A Glance
- In January 2023, ONE Championship started its partnership with Lumpinee Boxing Stadium for the weekly ONE Friday Fights series and, 41 events later, it has brought out some of Philippines' best fighters.
Team Lakay head coach Mark Sangiao is grateful for the addition of ONE Friday Fights in Bangkok, Thailand, this year.

In January 2023, ONE Championship started its partnership with Lumpinee Boxing Stadium for the weekly ONE Friday Fights series and, 41 events later, it has brought out some of Philippines’ best fighters.
This includes two of Sangiao’s young warriors in Carlos Alvarez and Carlo Bumina-ang, who hold a combined five wins and four finishes at the weekly Lumpinee spectacle.
“The addition of ONE Friday Fights to the mix is such a big thing for us. It’s a big development for ONE Championship this year. It’s a way for young and upcoming fighters to test themselves in ONE Championship,” Sangiao said.
“With what they’re doing, they’re making sure that everyone who moves on to the main roster won’t get shocked with the level of competition that they’ll be facing when they enter ONE Championship,” he added.
For Sangiao, an additional platform for up-and-coming fighters to compete on will help the fighters and the development of ONE Championship’s already stacked roster.
With Lumpinee as the developing grounds for on-the-rise fighters, ONE gets a two pronged approach when it comes to roster development. After all, it’s preparing some of the best young talent in the region to go against the best signings from around the world.
“If you look at ONE Championship’s top level, there are a lot of powerhouses there. You see all these Russians coming, you see all these Americans coming. So yeah, this Lumpinee event is such a big thing, especially for our young fighters,” he said.
“This is their biggest test. This is, in a way, to screen them if they’re ready for ONE Championship.”