Marching forward is the battlecry for Team Lakay after a tumultuous 2023.
For founder and coach Mark Sangiao, he’d rather look at the positives and focus on the future than dwell on the past as he looks to once again lead the famed Benguet stable back to the pinnacle.
“There’s a rainbow after the rain,” he said. “There’s always an end even to great things, but the end doesn’t always mean you have to stop.”
“The end also means starting fresh, starting anew. There were pages of Team Lakay’s journey that was already read and 2023 ended that. It was a nice book, we enjoyed it, but it’s time to move to the next chapter because a new chapter is always exciting.”
Though a few of Sangiao’s prominent fighters parted ways, there was still a lot of new blood that emerged for his camp, among them Carlo Von “The Bull” Bumina-ang and Carlos “Limitless” Alvarez.
Bumina-ang was undefeated in his three fights under the ONE umbrella, including a speedy 23-second knockout of Ilyas Dursun at ONE Friday Fights 44.
Alvarez is just as solid, winning three of his four fights in The Home of Martial Arts.
“I would say it was a blessing in disguise since it paved a clear way and goal for our athletes who fell short of opportunities before. Now, they are taking the fight scene by storm. We took a positive turn from what many considered a downfall and dark time for the team,” said Sangiao.
This trying year also tested Team Lakay’s resilience, one that the decorated mentor is happy to see as they were able to recover after the marquee exodus of the likes of former world champions Eduard “Landslide” Folayang and Joshua “The Passion” Pacio.
“What happened with the team tested each of our characters, the people we work and associate with, and the team itself. It was a tough test,” admitted Sangiao.
“But you see, we are still here and we are more focused, we are much stronger. The number dwindled but the number does not equate to solidness. They always say that it’s better to have a small circle that is firm and one goal-focused than a bigger one with scattered grails.”
Armed with a clean slate, Sangiao is excited for the year to come as he hopes to brandish more Igorot warriors to the ONE stage.
“Team Lakay will be showing fresh faces and a more diverse one. A book has started so everybody will have to watch out,” he said.