Former title contender Danny Kingad will return to the ONE Championship circle on Feb. 25 in Bangkok, Thailand against fast-rising Indonesian mixed martial arts star Eko Roni Saputra.
Currently ranked third in the flyweight division, Kingad was supposed to join his Team Lakay squad in ONE’s return to Manila last December, but his opponent Gurdarshan Mangat had to withdraw from the bout due to injury.
This time, Kingad will finally get a chance to bounce back after his decision loss to Kairat Akhmetov, as he is determined to do that by stopping the red-hot Saputra, who’s riding a seven-fight winning streak.
In that stretch, Saputra scored five submissions, but he has also proven that he got power in his hands after knocking out Liu Peng Shuai in 2021.
But while he has been taking care of business in the circle, he has not faced someone like Kingad, who is probably the most explosive athlete in the dynamic Team Lakay roster with his seemingly bottomless gas tank and non-stop motor.
Known for his stamina and agility, the Cordilleran fighter is enough to hang the Indonesian wrestler and has the capability to light him up on the feet if the match stays there.
While a win will be crucial for Saputra and has hopes of barging into the rankings, their upcoming match is equally as important for Kingad especially since he also wants a rematch against either reigning ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson or former world champion Adriano Moraes.
Johnson and Moraes will wrap up their trilogy for the world title at ONE Fight Night 10 this May.
A win for Kingad could put him right back into the world title mix.
Kingad and Saputra will join a stacked card bannered by the massive rematch between reigning John Lineker and Fabricio Andrade for the vacant ONE bantamweight world title. – Harley F. Palangchao
