“I know that I can beat him” - Danny Kingad says there will be no more surprises in rematch with tormentor Adriano Moraes
Danny Kingad is confident he'll get the job done against Adriano Moraes the second time around.
In November 2017, 'The King' scored his first-ever ONE world title opportunity against then-flyweight MMA champion Adriano Moraes at ONE: Legends of the World. Sadly, Kingad's night ended earlier than expected when Moraes forced him to tap out with only 15 seconds left in the opening round.
Since then, Kingad has been chomping to run it back with 'Mikinho' and prove he has what it takes to defeat one of the most decorated fighters in ONE history.
On Friday, Nov. 8, he'll get that chance when ONE Championship heads back to the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok for ONE 169. Kingad and Moraes will run it back in a high-stakes scrap that could produce the next flyweight MMA title challenger.
Speaking with ONE ahead of their showdown inside the Mecca of Muay Thai, Kingad believes the rematch will produce a far different result than the one we saw the first time. He said:
"This time, I know that I can beat him, unlike before when I got shocked because it was just my third fight in ONE and I already got a world championship bout against him".
Danny Kingad determined to get his career back on track against Moraes at ONE 169
Following his loss against Adriano Moraes all those years ago, Danny Kingad responded with six impressive victories in a row. However, that streak was snapped by pound-for-pound great Demetrious Johnson in the ONE Flyweight MMA World Grand Prix tournament final at ONE: Century Part I.
Since then, Kingad has struggled to stay in the win column, alternating wins and losses and coming up short in his last outing against Yuya Wakamatsu at ONE 165 in Tokyo earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Moraes will be making his first appearance on martial arts' biggest global stage in 18 months—his last outing coming at ONE Fight Night 10 in a trilogy bout with the aforementioned Demetrious Johnson.
Moraes failed to take back the flyweight MMA title that night, but with 'Mighty Mouse' recently retiring and vacating the belt, Moraes could take a giant step toward a ninth reign with the belt, assuming he can get past as bound-and-determined Danny Kingad.
Fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE 169: Malykhin vs. ‘Reug Reug’ live on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, Nov. 8 in U.S. primetime.