Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times

Mixed Martial Arts

Team Lakay rallies behind Danny Kingad as he enters career-defining bout


Team Lakay is rallying behind Danny “The King” Kingad as he is set to lock horns with pound-for-pound great Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson in the final of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix.

The two best martial artists from the ONE Flyweight Division are set to meet at ONE: Century on October 13 at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.

And Kingad’s team is excited for him.

“He has a big chance of being a World Champion. He’s really young with tons of heart,” former ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard Folayang said.

“He already has power and skill. What DJ will have over him is his experience and confidence. However, if Danny can come in with confidence in himself, you’ll see his true strength.”

In his latest outing, Kingad punched his ticket to the tournament final by beating former World Title challenger Reece “Lightning” McLaren in a narrow split decision.

The 23-year old is currently on a six-bout winning streak, a streak which started after losing for the first time in his career when he got submitted by ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes at ONE: Legends of the World in November 2017.ONE-Legends-of-the-World-Adriano-Moraes-def-Danny-Kingad Team Lakay rallies behind Danny Kingad as he enters career-defining bout Mixed Martial Arts News ONE Championship  - philippine sports news

It was a loss that fueled Kingad’s tour de force in the division, but Folayang believes that things are gonna be different now if they meet again.

“I think that loss was the result of him being overwhelmed,” Folayang explained.

“Of course, Moraes is a jiu-jitsu black belt, but as time goes by, Danny was able to understand that it doesn’t matter.”

Team Lakay’s head trainer Mark Sangiao sang the same tune.

#ReadMore  NCAA 98: Mapua avenges first round loss to Lyceum, grabs second win

With how Kingad is performing now, he believes that Kingad can truly give Johnson a run for his money in the final.one-dawn-of-heroes-danny-kingad-def-reece-mclaren Team Lakay rallies behind Danny Kingad as he enters career-defining bout Mixed Martial Arts News ONE Championship  - philippine sports news

“Demetrious is in for a grind. We cannot underestimate him because he’s Demetrious Johnson – he’s the pound for pound king. But we can’t count out Danny as well, maybe he’s the true king,” Sangiao said.

“The semifinals showed that there are no easy fights here. That means a lot to us.”

Sangiao shared that he is giving Kingad a well-deserved break after his latest win. However, it will not be long as the team is planning to get back to work to prepare for the most important bout of Kingad’s career.

“We’ll study it. We’ll work on it. Let’s see how Danny can beat Demetrious.”

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

Top 5 Highlight From ONE Warrior Series 7

Danny Kingad Admits ‘Bittersweet’ Feeling, But Ready For Demetrious Johnson

 

Written By


You May Also Like

Mixed Martial Arts

Danny Kingad put up a valiant performance but ultimately fell to Adriano Moraes’ exceptional submission game in their flyweight MMA rematch at ONE 169...

Mixed Martial Arts

It was a memorable evening for Philippine martial arts at the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand as three of the nation’s top prospects...

Mixed Martial Arts

Joshua Pacio may still be nursing an ACL injury as he awaits medical clearance to compete, but that hasn’t stopped him from boarding a...

Mixed Martial Arts

Danny Kingad has gained a strong ally in his pursuit of redemption against an old rival. Lito Adiwang is confident that his former teammate...

Mixed Martial Arts

Carlos Alvarez is eager to feel the thrill of victory once again. The 25-year-old native of Baguio City will have a chance to do...

Mixed Martial Arts

Two of the Philippines’ most promising MMA fighters are set to return to action this November. Team Lakay’s Carlos Alvarez will finally have his...

Mixed Martial Arts

Danny Kingad steps into his upcoming bout with more than just strategy and skill – he carries the weight of a higher purpose as...

Mixed Martial Arts

Danny Kingad’s much-awaited flyweight MMA rematch against former champion Adriano Moraes will no longer happen on American shores. Both men are booked to go...

Advertisement