Team Lakay head coach Mark Sangiao is gearing up for the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix final, and it is certainly the biggest match that he will work.
The prodigious Danny “The King” Kingad is on a collision course with all-time pound-for-pound great Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson at ONE: Century on October 13 at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.
Kingad and Johnson punched their tickets to the tournament final by beating their respective opponents on August 2 at ONE: Dawn of Heroes, which took place at the Mall Of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.
The showdown between the young phenom from Baguio City and the 12-time flyweight World Champion seemed destined for Sangiao, as fans themselves predicted that in the end, the epic match between the two would happen.
“They all know it. Almost everyone was expecting Danny to face Demetrious [in the Grand Prix final],” Sangiao said.
“But if you’d look at the previous matches, Danny really had to thread the needle, which only goes to show that there’s no easy fight in this tournament. But I’m happy we’re here.”
Despite building his case as one of the best mixed martial arts athletes, Johnson did not have it easy at The Home of Martial Arts.
The Madisonville, Kentucky native was made to sweat by Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu and Tatsumitsu “The Sweeper” Wada in his first two bouts in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix.
Upon seeing those matches, Sangiao is confident that Kingad will provide an even tougher match-up for “Mighty Mouse.”
“For DJ, welcome to Asia. The strawweight, flyweight, and bantamweight divisions are the best weight classes for Asians, and I guess that’s why he’s getting challenged here,” Sangiao said.
“He’s up for a grind. Of course, DJ is DJ, we cannot underestimate him. He’s the pound for pound king. But let’s see. Maybe Danny really is the king,” he added.
“We’ll certainly prepare for this.”
With more than 60 days before they meet in the Circle, Sangiao already has an early take on Johnson.
“I think we’ve seen DJ’s weakness. He already lost in the past and that’s what we’re looking at,” Sangiao shared.
“He has a strong side, but if he gets overpowered, he struggles.”
As always, Sangiao did not give a prediction on how the match will go, but he is confident that Kingad will show up in the best shape of his life.
“Danny’s explosiveness, his ‘Igorot Warrior’ genes, he certainly won’t back down. He can take him standing up, and go toe-to-toe with him.”
Tune in to watch ONE Championship’s next event, ONE: Dreams of Gold, by downloading the ONE Super App. The action starts Friday, August 16 at 6:30pm local time.
More from ONE Championship:
Danny Kingad Defeats Reece McLaren To Reach ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Final
Demetrious Johnson Wins Last Spot In ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Final
