Danny “The King” Kingad was elated to get a critical victory at ONE: A NEW ERA on Sunday, 31 March.
He out-worked Senzo Ikeda over the course of three rounds to earn a unanimous decision in their ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix quarter-final showdown from the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.
The 23-year-old Baguio City native upped his winning streak to five, but more importantly, he punched himself a ticket in the semi-final round of the prestigious flyweight tournament.
Kingad may have earned the nod on all three of the judges’ scorecards, but he admits the Pancrase Flyweight World Champion pushed him to his limit.
"Ikeda is a great athlete. This was definitely one of the toughest matches of my career," he said.
“At some point, he was able to execute his game plan and maximize his strengths on striking, which I successfully overcame. But he was very tough. I thought I was punching a stone every time I hit him.”
While Kingad is happy with his victory over Ikeda, that contest made him realize the things he still needs to work on as a mixed martial artist.
“I’m two more wins away from winning the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix and from my second World Title shot. I don’t have any plans of wasting my opportunity,” he continued.
“I’ll be giving more focus to my overall game when I go back to the gym.”
Now that his semi-final match against former ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat “The Kazakh” Akhmetov is set, the Team Lakay product can’t wait to showcase his skills against a former World Champion.
It’s been a long time coming for “The King,” and he vowed to perform at his best.
“I’ve been waiting for this chance to face him. Akhmetov is one of the best flyweights on the planet. I am looking forward to testing my wrestling skills against him and see how will I fare.”
