By Jun Ray Navarres
Team Lakay’s Danny Kingad is set to return to the MMA scene for ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs. Andrade II at at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on February 25.
After a long lay-off, the Filipino fighter will take on Indonesian MMA rising star Eko Roni Saputra in the flyweight division.
The no. 3-ranked contender hasn’t seen action since December 2021, but is now ready to bounce back after a bitter decision loss to Kairat Akhmetov.
Kingad was supposed to make his return early in ONE’s return to Manila last December but his opponent, Gurdarshan Mangat had to withdraw due to an injury.
The King was able to maintain his position in ONE Athlete rankings despite the long vacation but Saputra is willing to take over.
The red-hot Indonesian warrior is currently riding a seven-fight winning streak including five submissions. After losing in his ONE debut against Nico Soe, Saputra has not lost ever since.
Saputra also proved that he has heavy hands after knocking out Liu Peng Shuai in 2021.
While all of Saputra’s fights did not reach the end bell of the first round, he has not seen a versatile and dynamic fighter like Kingad who can finish the fight early or go the distance.
With Kingad’s bottomless gas tank and non-stop motor, he’s explosive enough to hang with the Indonesian’s wrestling and has the capabilities to light him up on the feet, should the match stay there.
While a win will be crucial for Saputra and his hopes of barging into the rankings, this bout is equally as important for Kingad, especially since he’s looking for a rematch against either Demetrious Johnson or Adriano Moraes.
Johnson and Moraes will be capping off their trilogy on May for the ONE Flyweight World Title, and a win for Kingad may put him in the next spot for title contention.
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