Number two-ranked flyweight Danny “The King” Kingad is raring to return to the ONE Championship circle, and he has two people in mind who he’d love to face.
Kingad is confident that he’s ready for a rematch with ONE flyweight world champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes, who scored a decisive knockout win over No. 1-ranked flyweight Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson at “ONE on TNT I” in April.
“If they give me a shot at Adriano Moraes once more, for sure I’ll take it,” Kingad said.
“Compared to the man who faced him back then, I’m a lot more different. I have gained a lot of experience since that match, and I know that I’m ready for the world title shot.”
The 25-year-old faced Moraes four years ago, but it wasn’t a memorable night. Moraes overwhelmed the Filipino on the ground, eventually scoring a first-round submission win.
Since then, Kingad has gone 7-1 in his division, with his only loss coming by decision against Johnson in the finals of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Championship.
With all the experience he’s earned in that stretch, along with the continuous development of his camp, Kingad believes things would be a lot different now.
“I feel like I’ve improved a lot from that fight. Aside from being younger in that first match, we have also improved in terms of how we prepare,” Kingad said.
“Now we have a better gym, we have better equipment, we have better training partners, unlike before where we had to work with what we had.”
But if Moraes is unavailable for a rematch, Kingad has no problem taking on another top-five ranked flyweight.
He’s eyeing a showdown with No. 4-ranked contender Kairat “The Kazakh” Akhmetov, a guy he was supposed to face twice already.
He’s always been intrigued by Akhmetov, a former ONE flyweight world champion who continues to improve by the day.
“It’s a bit frustrating,” Kingad said.
“I’ve always wanted to face him. I always wanted to try his wrestling and his improved striking, but as a professional athlete, things like this happen. I just have to make sure that I continue training so when that match happens, I’m ready.”
FROM THE ARCHIVES