MANILA – Filipino mixed martial arts sensation Danny Kingad has expressed his desire to fight again for the ONE flyweight title.
Kingad said on Wednesday he is ready to challenge the winner of the Adriano Moraes - Demetrious Johnson clash on February 24 for Moraes' championship belt.
"I would love to fight the winner of that fight sometime in the near future," he said.
Johnson, a former flyweight champ at the Ultimate Fighting Championship, set up a title showdown against Moraes for the ONE Championship gold after beating Kingad in the final of the ONE Flyweight Grand Prix, which took place at ONE: Century in Tokyo on Oct. 12, 2019.
Kingad's first loss in his career actually came against Moraes when the latter submitted the former through a rear-naked choke in their title showdown at ONE: Legends of the World in Pasay City on Nov. 10, 2017.
He, however, said he has learned from those defeats and is ready for a rematch against either Moraes or Johnson.
“I believe I’ve changed a lot since facing either of them, and they will be surprised,” Kingad said.
On what kind of Kingad would show up if he gets a title shot outright will depend on how the prolonged hiatus has affected him much, fitness-wise.
In what would have been his first match since January, Kingad was scheduled to face former champ Kairat Akhmetov at ONE: Big Bang 1 on December 4, but on November 30, ONE announced that the match was called off after one of Kingad's cornermen tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019.
Taking Kingad's place on short notice was former ONE bantamweight title challenger Kim Dae-Hwan.
Akhmetov currently ranks third among flyweights and Kim already fought in a catchweight clash earlier this month, but the match will only be shown on Christmas night when ONE broadcasts ONE: Collision Course 2.
Meanwhile, Kingad said he would spend the holidays with his family in Baguio but he will quickly return to training after New Year's Day. (PNA)
