TEAM Lakay head coach Mark Sangiao isn't worried about the status of one of his top students in Jean Claude Saclag.
Saclag saw his two-fight winning streak in the ONE Championship stage go up in flames after being submitted by Shazada Ataev in a highly entertaining flyweight MMA clash at ONE Friday Fights 109 on May 23 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
READ: Sangiao expecting to see Saclag's growth in MMA this OFF 109
While he's nonchalant about the loss, Sangiao assured fans they're doing their jobs in silence – quickly going to work by replaying the fight, identifying what went wrong, and scouting film.
"After the fight, win or lose, we always review what happened in the cage. We took notes, we discussed what could have and could have not happened. We learned," Sangiao said.
It looked like Saclag was going to head into his third straight win in the promotion as he quickly floored Ataev in the early goings of their bout.
But Ataev was tough, even rocking Saclag himself with strikes in the first round before eventually getting the takedown, the armbar, and the submission in the second round.
As tough as the loss was, Sangiao also gave credit to Ataev who he described as the grittier of the two that night.
"We wanted a victory tonight, but Shazada was the better warrior. Both athletes embodied strong will and heart, it was a great fight," Sangiao said.
"Jean Claude was almost there. What took place was a display of beautiful exchanges of skill, power, and grit."
Still, Sangiao believes this isn't the end of the road for Saclag, who he believes will only get better with the lessons he's taken in this loss.
"This setback will not define Jean Claude Saclag permanently. He took one step backward tonight but he's going to take three steps forward tomorrow. We learned today so we can get better the next day," he said.
"Sports are like life. We must accept losing so we can have space for gaining something in the future. It's all about the right time."
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