WITH two titles produced in One Championship, Mark Sangiao of Team Lakay is considered among the top five coaches of MMA in Asia.
Sangiao, according to One Championship, remains an inspiration to others where he carefully developed his fighters with firm guidance and genuine care.
Landing at the number two spot, Sangiao established Team Lakay many years ago, building its home base in the mountains of Baguio City to provide his fellow countrymen with a platform on which to unleash their martial arts greatness.
Along the way, Sangiao has developed martial arts superstars who continue to inspire Asia and the world, including former ONE lightweight world champion Eduard Folayang, former ONE featherweight world champion Honorio Banario, and several world title contenders.
ONE added it is mission accomplished for Sangiao, who set out to dominate the Philippine martial arts scene through the art of wushu, and showcase homegrown Filipino talent for all the world to see. Today, Team Lakay is the most well-known martial arts team in the country.
More than just a martial arts coach however, Sangiao is looked up to as a father figure who genuinely cares for the students under his wing. This has resulted in a bond that extends far beyond the reaches of the cage, and has shaped wonderful human beings who are also true martial artists.
Topping the list is Fari Salievski, the head of KMA Champion Martial Arts Liverpool in New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
Salievski is the mastermind behind Martin Nguyen’s historic run in 2017, as the young sensation shocked the world with two high-profile knockout victories to capture the ONE featherweight and lightweight world titles.
He is also a highly-accomplished martial artist himself, holding seventh-degree black belts in both hapkido and taekwondo, as well as a BJJ black belt.
Known as “Master Fari”, Salievski and Nguyen have built a formidable partnership that will continue to make headlines in 2018 as they look to continue making history.
Third on the list is Don Carlo-Clauss, head of the most prolific martial arts team in Indonesia, Bali MMA.
Originally from upstate New York, Carlo-Clauss was a successful high school wrestler, winning two state championship before moving on to the University of Virginia, where he competed at the NCAA Division I level. After a run of success in the cage, Carlo-Clauss hung up his gloves in 2012 to take up a life of coaching.
Now, he works with some of the best talents in the region, including ONE Championship stars Andrew Leone, Gianni Subba, and Muhammad Aiman, among others. He also trains visiting martial artists such as Malaysia’s Ev Ting and Singapore’s Tiffany Teo, who regularly head to Bali MMA for supplementary training.
Completing the top five are George Hickman of Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand and Ryo Chonan, who is currently the head coach of several prominent Japanese martial artists, including former ONE lightweight world champion Shinya Aoki.
