Jhanlo Mark Sangiao can't wait to get back on the ONE Championship stage, especially with the way Team Lakay's next generation of fighters have been winning over the past few months.
Since the last time Sangiao competed, his teammates Carlo Bumina-ang and ONE Friday Fights standouts Carlos Alvarez and Jean Claude Saclag have all impressed in their respective runs, energizing the famed stable from Baguio City with youth and vigor.
Now, the 22-year-old can't wait to join in on the action.
READ: Mark Sangiao happy with Team Lakay's growth outside of striking
"I'm excited to get back and join the fray because if you look at the progression of our gym, we've been winning," Sangiao said.
"Our fighters have been impressive. Even here in the Lumpinee stage, we're seeing how they truly want to join the ONE main roster, and that gives me so much energy and motivation to keep pushing forward."
With the way things are going for the team, Sangiao knows that he needs to step up, especially after experiencing the first loss of his career last year when he was submitted by #4-ranked Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu.
The second-generation martial artist has been branded as the face of Team Lakay's next wave, and he knows that he has to start acting like it now – admitting that he wasn't fully focused in his first few fights in the promotion.
"Honestly, I felt like in my first few fights I was playing around. I felt like I wasn't mature enough. I was just going through the motions and just merely enjoying the moment," Sangiao said.
"But then I faced Enkh-Orgil and that fight really reminded me that I can't just play around."
That was a reminder that he intends to take seriously, knowing that talent alone won't get him far.
"That fight showed me how far I truly am from reaching my goals. I have to add more skills, more techniques, and be more composed. That loss basically made me realize that just when I thought I knew it all, I don't. There's a lot to be learned," Sangiao said.
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