After winning his last five matches in dominant fashion, former ONE Flyweight World Title challenger Danny “The King” Kingad feels he is now prepared to face another elite grappler.
The 23-year-old, who impressed in the quarter-finals of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix by defeating Senzo Ikeda at ONE: A New Era, will now battle former ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat “The Kazakh” Akhmetov in the tournament semi-finals.
Akhmetov advanced to the semi-final round after dismantling Reece “Lightning” McLaren at the same event.
“I just think my style and his style match up great. He’s an awesome wrestler, and I really want to test my wrestling against him. I want to go to the ground and see who is stronger,” Kingad said.
“I’ve wanted to face Kairat Akhmetov for the longest time. I’ve been calling for a fight against him for the past two years.”
Kingad knows his bout with “The Kazakh” will be the perfect gauge for how far he has come as a martial artist.
He also believes the confidence he has built will play a key factor when he faces a top-notch grappler like Akhmetov.
“We’re both well-rounded athletes,” the Baguio City native continued.
“We can go strike-for-strike, and we can also hit the mat and grapple. I think anywhere this fight goes, the fans will be happy.”
Kingad was forced to improve his grappling after suffering his first career defeat at the hands of reigning ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes at ONE: Legends of the World back in November 2017.
Now, he is set to face another world-class grappler. This time, “The King” believes he will handle the situation much better.
“I am not intimidated by him at all. I am excited to face him. It’s going to be a good match,” the Filipino said.
“You can be sure I’m preparing for him very well. There’s no date for the fight yet, but I expect it to be soon, so I have to stay ready.”
