Danny “The King” Kingad showed a lot of surprises when he returned to the ONE Championship ring last Saturday, Feb. 25, at ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs. Andrade II - and thankfully for Filipino fans, those surprises were the good kind.
Kingad’s unanimous decision victory over Eko Roni Saputra at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, may not have surprised some, but it was the fashion in which he did it that turned heads.
While many expected the third-ranked flyweight to try and keep their MMA fight standing and use his signature striking that he’s known for, “The King” pursued takedowns and dominated the ground war from the onset.
“In my fight with Eko, we were in a clinched position and he was trying to take me down. This game is MMA, I also needed to keep improving on my takedowns and better control him,” he said.
“I tried to take him down as well, and it came to my mind that I can easily do it – even if he is a wrestler. When I was able to lift him, I knew I could take down a wrestler like him.”
That confidence came from an early takedown seconds into the match, proving to Kingad that his skills were on par with the highly touted wrestler from Evolve MMA.
“Our game plan was really focused on striking originally, but I saw that I can stay ahead of him in both striking and wrestling. I proved that we can do all aspects of MMA,” Kingad said.
“When he gave me the opening to take him down, I just went for it, because I was able to grab a hold of his body, and that’s when I decided to do it.”
While he didn’t get the finish he was hoping for, it was still a splendid performance for “The King.” After all, he got back to the victory column and ended the Indonesian’s seven-fight winning streak in the process.
“I think I lacked in following up on my attacks. I’m gonna rewatch the fight and will take a look at what I can improve on in my training,” he said.
“Of course, we were keen to prove that Team Lakay is not just a strikers-only gym. Ground game, wrestling, striking - all of that we have now and we can do it in the cage.”
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