Danny “The King” Kingad has licked his wounds and is now plotting his comeback in ONE Championship.
More than three months since losing in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Championship Finals to the legendary Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, Kingad returns to action against Xie “The Hunter” Wei.
His return comes at ONE: FIRE & FURY in ONE’s first show in Manila, Philippines for 2020 at the Mall Of Asia Arena on 31 January and for Kingad, that bout could not come any sooner.
“I have a mission to accomplish this year, and I am ready to take on whichever test they give me, especially in my first assignment back against Xie,” Kingad said.
“I’ll show how eager I am to get back to title contention.”
Xie makes his main roster debut after an impressive run in Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series last year, and “The King” knows he has a handful in his return bout.
“I saw his previous bouts and he was really impressive. It’s not easy winning five straight. He’s got the power and the skills, and he definitely deserves his spot in the big league,” he said.
But if there is one edge that the pride of Baguio City has, it is his experience against the best that his division has to offer.
Aside from hanging for three rounds with the greatest flyweight of all time in Johnson, “The King” also shared the Circle with ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes, who dealt him his first loss at ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD back in 2017.
He also has wins over dangerous strikers Senzo Ikeda and Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu, and slick grapplers Reece “Lightning” McLaren and Tatsumitsu “The Sweeper” Wada.
“I am very thankful because I’ve faced the best flyweights here in ONE Championship. It is definitely a big part in my growth as an athlete,” Kingad said.
“I’ve faced [Adriano] Moraes, who is good in the ground, [Yuya] Wakamatsu, who is a power puncher, and Demetrious Johnson, who is super athletic and is good in all areas of the game.”
“I’ve learned a lot from those matches and it’s going to be a big help for my preparation for Xie. I have a lot of respect for Xie but I believe my skills and experience will bring me the victory.”
With that kind of experience, there are heightened expectations for the young Kingad, but he is eager to show that he is determined to exceed.
“I know he is strong, but I am confident in my striking. I want to show that I am a whole lot more explosive now, and at the same time, a whole lot smarter,” he said.
“I’ll do everything to get the win on 31 January.”
In the meantime, ONE Championship returns to martial arts action this Friday, 10 January, for ONE: A NEW TOMORROW at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
Catch all the action live and for free on the ONE Super App.