18 March 2019
Filipino Flyweight Danny Kingad has a new opponent at ONE: A New Era in Japan
Tokyo, Japan: The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced that Andrew Leone of the United States has withdrawn from his ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix quarter-final bout against Danny “The King” Kingad of the Philippines at ONE: A NEW ERA. The event is set for 31 March at the iconic Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. As a result, Japanese veteran Senzo Ikeda will fill in for Leone to face Kingad.
Pancrase Flyweight World Champion Senzo Ikeda has just joined ONE Championship and will take part in the highly-anticipated eight-man ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix which kicks off at ONE: A NEW ERA. He replaces Andrew Leone, who was forced to withdraw due to injury.
Ikeda, who sports a professional mixed martial arts record of 12-6-1, is a former undefeated boxer. He captured the Pancrase Flyweight World Championship with a unanimous decision victory over Mamoru Yamaguchi in August 2017, and is today a veteran of the Japanese martial arts scene. Coming off a sensational fifth-round stoppage victory over fellow ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix entrant Yuya Wakamatsu, Ikeda now seeks to leave a lasting impression in his promotional debut as he takes on Filipino phenom Danny Kingad.
Danny “The King” Kingad, a former ONE World Title challenger and a premier flyweight talent from the famed Team Lakay of Baguio City, owns an impressive professional record of 12-1. A true warrior from the mountains of the Philippines, the 23-year-old dynamo is a tremendous striker who possesses well-rounded grappling skills.
In his most recent bout, “The King” defeated rising Japanese star Tatsumitsu “The Sweeper” Wada by unanimous decision to earn a spot in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix.
ONE: A NEW ERA will feature the best and brightest stars of ONE Championship, including ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang who is set to defend his title against Japanese legend and former ONE World Champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki in the main event.
Also, there will be a trio of co-main events. ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan will put her belt on the line against ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee. ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang will stake his middleweight crown against Japan’s Ken Hasegawa in a rematch. ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon will defend his championship against former titleholder Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes in a trilogy match.
The rest of the quarter-final bouts of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix will also be held at ONE: A NEW ERA. Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson is set to lock horns with Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu. In another tournament matchup, former ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat “The Kazakh” Akhmetov will battle former ONE World Title challenger Reece “Lightning” McLaren. Also in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix, Tatsumitsu “The Sweeper” Wada will share the cage with undefeated Brazilian standout Ivanildo Delfino.
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