Lito Adiwang confident Danny Kingad's "fire to win" will outplay former flyweight MMA kingpin Adriano Moraes at ONE 169
Lito Adiwang is certain Danny Kingad's hunger to register a bounce-back win will play an instrumental role in his key flyweight MMA fixture against Adriano Moraes. The pair are scheduled to cross paths in a rematch that will be part of ONE 169, which broadcasts live from the revered Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, Nov. 8.
In their first meeting, the Brazilian veteran successfully defended his ONE flyweight MMA world champion via a first-round rear-naked choke, much to the disapointment of the sold-out audience who were backing 'The King' to pull off a stunning upset inside the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.
With time to develop and work on his shortcomings, Kingad has done the necessary homework for the rematch. That, coupled with his eagerness to pull one back over 'Mikinho' will give him an edge, at least according to Adiwang.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda MMA, the strawweight MMA contender said:
"His [Adriano Moraes] championship experience will be his main advantage here, but I think the fire to win will be much greater in Danny."
Danny Kingad isn't the only one entering this contest with a chip on his shoulder, however. Like the Lions Nation MMA affiliate, Moraes is looking to get back on track after suffering back-to-back defeats to now-retired MMA icon Demetrious Johnson.
Danny Kingad dreams of finishing Adriano Moraes inside the distance
While the upgrades to his arsenal have been on display for all to see, Danny Kingad's inability to bag a highlight-reel finish has continued to haunt him since his pair of statement wins under the ONE spotlight back in 2016.
As such, the 29-year-old hopes to change that when he squares off against Moraes next month.
In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, he said:
"I haven't really picked up a big knockout win. I really want to notch more knockouts in my record, so I'm going to be looking for it, for sure."
North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire ONE 169 card live in U.S. primetime for free on Friday, Nov. 8.