Danny Kingad reflects on lessons he learned in fight vs. MMA GOAT candidate Demetrious Johnson: "He doesn't get overeager"
Danny Kingad may have lost his battle with MMA GOAT candidate Demetrious Johnson, but he came out of that bout a much better fighter.
'The King' recently looked back at arguably the most high-profile match of his career by far, when he shared the circle with 'Mighty Mouse' in the Flyweight World Grand Prix Championship Final at ONE: Century Part I back in 2019.
While the Filipino had his moments, 'DJ' displayed a beautiful mixture of striking and grappling en route to a dominant unanimous decision victory.
In a recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Kingad shared what he learned from that humbling experience against one of the best to ever don the four-ounce gloves:
"He knows how to put up points on the scorecards, and he doesn’t get overeager to get the finish if it’s not there yet. He knows that if he wants a knockout, it will come at the right time, and he builds to it properly instead of overextending himself to force it."
Rewatch Kingad vs. Johnson, here:
Danny Kingad has indeed grown by leaps and bounds since that fateful encounter with Johnson. The Lions Nation MMA representative and Wushu specialist has worked on his grappling immensely, in a bid to become a more complete martial artist.
Danny Kingad eager to showcase his evolution in pivotal rematch with Adriano Moraes
Now that Demetrious Johnson has retired, there's now a clear path for the vacant flyweight MMA belt.
But for Danny Kingad to move closer to 26 pounds of gold, he must first get past familiar foe Adriano Moraes at ONE 169: Malykhin vs. 'Reug Reug' on Nov. 8 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
In the same Sportskeeda MMA interview, 'The King' said his match with 'Mikinho' could be a make-or-break moment for his career:
"I think the main thing is that I get my body and mind ready and the game plan is in place already, so it's more just fine-tuning everything all the way to fight night."
ONE 169 will air live in US primetime free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.