Danny Kingad is facing his greatest challenge next Sunday but a victory will propel him to elite status among ONE fighters.
Kingad is scheduled to meet former UFC superstar Demetrious Johnson in the finals of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Championship on October 13 in Tokyo, Japan during ONE: Century, the 100th show of ONE championship.
Johnson’s long-line of MMA accolades installs him as the favorite of this match. He is known as a quick striker and an elusive target in the cage.
He was a former UFC Flyweight Champion and holds the UFC record for most consecutive title defenses with 11. He also recorded the takedowns and the most finishes in UFC flyweight history. He is the only UFC fighter to record over 10 takedowns in three different fights.
Experts have branded Johnson as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. He currently holds an MMA career record of 29-3-1.
Johnson reached the final of the Flyweight World Grand Prix by submitting Yuya Wakamatsu in the second round last March and outlasting Tatsumitsu Wada by unanimous decision last August.
“The King”, on the other hand, had to labor to reach the finals. Kingad was pushed to the limit by Senzo Ikeda and Reece McLaren.
He delivered show-stealing bout on the day two Team Lakay champions were dethroned by hacking out a unanimous decision win against Ikeda last March in Japan.
He followed this up with a pulsating decision victory at the Mall of Asia Arena on August 2 where four of his teammates fell victim to lopsided losses.
Kingad rallied from a seeming deficit after being pedestrian in the early rounds with an explosion in the third to squeak in a split decision win against McLaren in their semifinals bout.
Kingad is currently sporting a 11-1 MMA record, nine of his victories coming via decisions. He is currently on a six-bout winning streak, five by unanimous decisions. His only loss came at the hands of Adriano Moraes. He is regarded as one of the complete Team Lakay fighters.
He revealed lately that he added several facets to his training regimen in the hopes of filling the holes to his game particularly on grappling. He also mentioned about tripling his stamina and work rate.
If Kingad pulled an upset, he could propel himself to become one of the cream of the crop of ONE fighters.
By Armando M. Bolislis
