"I've been working on my grappling"- Danny Kingad strengthening his ground game to face BJJ specialist Adriano Moraes
Danny Kingad says he's been strengthening his ground game with the sole intent to beat BJJ specialist Adriano Moraes.
The Filipino standout is prepared to prove his doubters wrong on November 8, when he trades leather with former flyweight king Adriano Moraes in a rematch at ONE 169: Malykhin vs Reug Reug.
The last thing he remembers about their first encounter in 2017 - which continues to haunt him to this day - is how easily he fell into Moraes' trap. The Brazilian champion sent Kingad straight into the shadow realm within three minutes of the starting round after locking in the rear-naked choke.
Kingad, although crushed by the disappointing end, went back to the drawing board. After Moraes, 'The King' ascended the rankings at a rapid pace, scoring six consecutive wins against tough guys like Reece McLaren and Tatsumitsu Wada, until losing his streak by decision to Demetrious Johnson in October 2019.
But all the while, Kingad never forgot about Moraes. He kept up his training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu so that if he ever met Moraes again, he would be ready.
"I've trained a long time for this, and I've been working on my grappling knowing the strengths of Adriano," Danny Kingad told Philstar. "I'm ready, I'm ready wherever this fight ends up in."
Watch Danny Kingad get his revenge on Adriano Moraes at ONE 169: Malykhin vs Reug Reug, which airs live from Thailand via Prime Video for North American subscribers.
Lito Adiwang believes that "the sting of losing" again will motivate Danny Kingad to come out with the win at ONE 169
Fellow countryman and former teammate to Danny Kingad, Lito Adiwang believes that 'The King' has the motivation he needs to be successful against Adriano Moraes.
The strawweight contender has long been intrigued by Kingad's journey to a world championship. Much like his own, Adiwang can relate how important it feels to avenge a loss and win a world title. He previously lost to 'The Monkey God' Jarred Brooks on his rise to the top.
And now that he's one or two fights away from meeting Brooks again, the sting he felt after losing to him, has become the driving force behind his success. That's why, he concludes that Danny Kingad will become the next ONE flyweight world champion after his rematch with Adriano Moraes.
Explaining his reasoning to Sportskeeda MMA, Adiwang said:
"You can feel the sting of losing still, and you know what you did wrong so you want to rectify it."