By Jun Ray Navarres
Danny Kingad has already laid out his plans for the 2023 season and has high hopes for his return inside the ONE Circle on Feb 25 during the ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs. Andrade II.
The Team Lakay stalwart eyes Eko Roni Saputra as a springboard for his run to the coveted ONE Flyweight title.
“My goal for 2023 is to get a good winning streak going,” said Kingad.
“I’m coming off a loss, so I have to get back on the winning track, start a winning streak, and then become a World Champion before the year ends. That’s my goal this 2023.”
The King is sure to be ready when he faces Saputra at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, especially after his December return in Manila was postponed.
Kingad was supposed to be a part of ONE Championship’s return to Manila, but his opponent Gurdashan Mangat had to pull out due to an injury, pushing back Kingad’s title run.
“My training pretty much continued even after Mangat dropped out. I never stopped and I stayed in shape, so training and preparation is not an issue for me,” shared Kingad.
Kingad won’t be facing a pushover against the Indonesian wrestling machine, but he believes that aside from Saputra’s wrestling, nothing will really threaten him.
“Eko Roni Saputra has been impressive. He’s on a seven-fight winning streak. What I see from him, though, is that he always favors his ground game and wrestling. That’s where he’s at his best, and that’s what I’ve observed from his previous fights,” Kingad added.
“I’ve watched his every fight, and it’s the ground game that I have to worry about. Sure, he had a knockout win, but his opponent wasn’t a good striker.“
Kingad only has a few things in mind heading into the fight – to derail the red-hot Indonesian mixed martial artist and start his own momentum.
With his bottomless tank and quick feet, the Team Lakay dynamo hopes to score Philippines’ first MMA win in 2023.
Follow the writer on Twitter: @burnsports
