Danny “The King” Kingad picked up one of the most impressive victories of his career, defeating Ma Hao Bin via unanimous decision, in a flyweight bout at ONE: Pinnacle of Power, Saturday evening in Macau.
“The King” improves his mixed martial arts record to 10-1, and with an outstanding performance against strong opposition, he takes several huge steps forward in his quest to get another shot at the gold.
Kingad started the bout aggressively, but his strikes were countered with a takedown, and Ma took his back in the blink of an eye. The 24-year-old Chinese grappler got his hooks in, but was too low to threaten with a submission.
The pair scrambled for position, enabling Kingad to switch into side mount. From there, he launched a heavy attack with elbows and knees to the head.
Ma tried to recover position, but Kingad sprawled, then landed a knee as the pair stood up. A fantastic first round ended with the Filipino controlling the distance and finding some success with his kicks.
The second stanza began in the same way, with “The King” controlling the range with hard kicks, and Ma always looking to counter with a quick overhand right.
Action was paused twice in succession, as two Kingad inside leg kicks accidentally landed below the belt. When action finally resumed, the flyweights attacked each other in some wild exchanges.
The Filipino then threatened with a choke, but Ma wriggled free. The rest of the round took place mostly on the feet, with Kingad leaning on his kicking game, and his Chinese adversary continuing to counter with punches and initiating more grappling exchanges.
Ma began the final frame with a takedown, but Kingad stayed active with punches, before he was again able to reverse position into side mount and resume his ground attack.
“The Southern Eagle” found his way back to his feet and was able to take control of his opponent’s back, but Kingad launched a sensational submission attempt by rolling for a kneebar. Ma, however, was able to escape.
Despite the exertions from both men, the closing moments of the match-up ended with some incredible scrambles, which were met with excited roars from the crowd inside the Studio City Event Center, as both pushed to make a decisive impression on the judges.
Ultimately, the verdict decisively went in Kingad’s favor, and the Filipino picks up his second consecutive win after his unsuccessful World Title challenge against Adriano Moraes last November.
Later in the night, Filipino debutant Rodian “The Redeemer” Menchavez was knocked out cold by Li Kai Wen in just 10 seconds.
The 10-second KO is now the fastest finish in ONE Championship’s featherweight history
Photo and story from ONEfc.com
